Between a Kiss and a Lie: Xanxus
by Il.mio.nome.e.Chrome.Dokuro
Summary: Chrome Dokuro was known throughout the Mafia world as the weakest of the Tenth generation Vongola Guardians but just a few weeks with her as Mammon's temporary replacement and the Varia could plainly see this was untrue despite her soft spoken ways. What could possibly be hidden between her kisses and her lies? Rated T plus plus for swearing, gore & sexual themes later on. TYL! X96
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**AN**: Don't expect regular updates.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Chapter One**:

If anyone would have bothered to ask Xanxus whether he would consider doing anyone from the Vongola Decimo's Family a favor the day before he would have laughed maniacally in their faces, pulled out his guns and blasted their brains to smithereens… before burning it up to an unrecognizable crisp, of course. As it was he would still do it if he were inclined to admit it. However, when said Family member was an Arcobaleno and a powerful being to boot, even someone like him would reconsider. Especially since Reborn had already dodged his flame bullets earlier when the pint sized hitman first made the request.

And no one bothered to ask him what the hell he thought anyway.

So he sat there in his grand chair, poised in a gesture of brooding as he stared at the suited toddler whose fedora was hiding his beady black eyes. However, as much as he wanted to murder the little Mafioso, his attention was continuously being pulled by the young woman standing quietly and serenely a few steps behind the child hitman.

All the leading officers of the elite assassination squad Varia glared silently as their illusionist floated across the glittering Varia headquarter's floor towards Reborn without even so much as a glance at any of them. It wasn't the lack of acknowledgement that had them looking towards the small psychic Arcobaleno in contempt, however— God knew acknowledgement between any of them only ended up in property decimation and a lot of noise— it was the fact that Mammon was actually taking interest in the familiar feminine figure who was not supposed to be in the halls of the Varia at all.

Someone who was supposed to only exist in the world of light surrounding the Tenth Vongola.

Someone who wore the Mist Ring.

Someone named Chrome Dokuro.

Her heels stood smartly against the polished floor and her long, slender legs bore the weight of their hate filled gazes effortlessly under a smart, ankle length black skirt that fell beautifully over her form. Her ever present trident was folded in until it was no more than 3 feet long and hung across her back like an accessory, belying the lives it had taken and the minds that it broke. It could only barely be hidden by the mid back long hair that hung in a neat fall over her shoulders.

None of them really knew her personally other than the fact that of all the Vongola guardians of the now 24 year old Vongola Decimo she was the least spoken about. As though her presence was just as insignificant as the Mist she represented. She didn't acknowledge any of them, merely stared at the floor as she bore their stares in silence. It was as though she were a puppet that had a numb look in her eyes led thru strings by the hitman home tutor. The silence was thick and tense and it was getting more and more than obvious she was not going to be the one to break it.

Reborn, however, had no such qualms. "So that is that; I'll be leaving Chrome here under your care as your illusionist since Viper won't be here due to the investigation we are going to do to free ourselves of the Arcobaleno curse."

The words were like an invitation for the entire too shocked into silence Varia squad to finally break into the conversation led by Squalo. "VOI! WHAT THE HELL IS THE MEANING OF THIS? WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE GOTTA TAKE THAT BRAT INTO THE VARIA?"

Mammon looked over to his fellow illusionist with something akin to curiosity before his gaze turned over to his fellow Arcobaleno managing to ignore his second in command's question. "Well I guess... as long as I don't have to pay up for anything, it's fine."

"WHY, YOU LITTLE—"

Mammon ignored this and turned towards the Varia boss before he started talking. "I'm going to take my leave for a few weeks I don't know when I'll be back; trust me, you'll _need_ an illusionist on missions or half of you will end up dead every time you come back from one."

Belphegor, who was busy ogling Chrome, grinned sadistically. "Ushishishi… how long _is_ a few weeks?"

"It's Arcobaleno business," Mammon told him without missing a beat already annoyed with the youngest Varia officer. "I'm not really sure. The Boss already knew I had to leave."

All the Varia members stared at the scowling Xanxus whose mood was steadily getting darker the longer this conversation dragged on.

Squalo spoke for him. "VOI, WHATEVER XANXUS MEANT I'M SURE HE DIDN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO TAKE IN ONE OF THE VONGOLA BRATS IN HERE!"

"Think about it," Reborn waved him off flippantly. "No matter how you look at it, with Chrome here you'd be in a win-win situation. You'd have an in house illusionist and you can get back at Tsuna. Do you guys think it's easy to acquire her away from Tsuna's service?"

This finally aroused Xanxus' interest. "What do you mean?"

Reborn smirked while Viper glowered at him from the corner of his eye. Trust the hitman to know _exactly_ how to push someone's buttons to get what he wanted. "She may not look like it and it may not be common knowledge but Chrome is a very important member of the Vongola. Tsuna would _die_ to keep her by his side. If she starts working under your command that No-Good Tsuna would be miserable; especially if you spring this situation on him unexpectedly. Right now all he knows is that I am taking Chrome on a special mission. No more, no less."

Xanxus considered the female illusionist. He had been given the impression that the Mist guardian was almost non existent in the functions of the Mafia community. Her presence was dim and covered by the very Sky she was supposed to be protecting. Alongside the other guardians she was merely a wraith that had no substance, no body and barely even a presence. Shadowed even by those two females Sawada calls his women.

How could this little girl possibly be important to that Sawada kid and be known as part of the elite ranks that made up the Vongola Decimo's power house?

So what was it about her? He couldn't help his curiosity and the fact that this was going to hurt Sawada was like the grand icing on the cake. So how could it hurt?

"Fine."

"VRAAAITTTT! XANXUS, WHAT THE FUCK?"

"Oh my~" Lussuria chuckled.

"This has got to be a joke!" Levi yelled, gripping his afro in a death grip. "This is a plot to seduce Xanxus-sama!"

If Xanxus weren't so curious himself, he would have blown the Lightning guardian to bits; in any case, he could do that later.

"Take good care of her, Xanxus, and make sure you don't tell Tsuna where she is unless you're prepared to lose her early," Reborn flashed a cool look at him that made the Varia boss to mentally sit up a little straighter and take notice. "And if I find you've hurt one hair on her head intentionally I _will_ hunt you down."

"Ushishishi…" Belphegor slid a pair of knives from his stash at the threat. "You've got guts, baby; what's wrong with cutting her a slice or two?"

The look Reborn gave the self proclaimed prince had enough killing intent for the blond to release his hold on both his grin and his weapons. Satisfied, the infant hitman turned to walk away. "You've been warned."

Xanxus observed Reborn as he began to pass the still motionless woman who had refused to meet anyone's eyes since she entered the room. As he did he saw Reborn's lips move the moment he was beside the Mist guardian.

"I'm sorry." The little Mafioso said before he continued walking out of the room.

What was surprising was the sad softening of Chrome's face at these words before replying in the same vein. "…I know."

Viper floated in front of her, marking the first time she had acknowledged anybody in the room aside from Reborn when he strictly called for her attention. "Here."

He handed her a piece of paper of what seemed to be a list before forming a small ball of light of what seemed to be a holographic crystal ball that had images of the Varia hallways floating around it. "These are all the chores and obligations I fill in for around the castle and this illusion you'll have to copy off my mind; it's a map of the headquarters and it'll disappear once it feels you're able to move around the place without being a burden to anyone. Make sure you stay alive by the time I return or Reborn will drown me in fees. Got it?"

She reached out towards the illusionary crystal ball first and seemed to absorb it through her fingertips until it faded off of Viper's hands before reaching for the list and started skimming the contents with eyes the color of bruised violets. And then she crumpled it up and nodded.

"I understand."

Viper stared at her for what seemed to be one long minute more before shuffling over to the double doors following Reborn's already disappearing form.

And then there was silence. In the Varia council room stood Squalo shaking in rage for a maximum of five seconds before he exploded. "WHAT THE HELL IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

"I won't accept it, I won't!" Levi cried out, pulling at his afro. "This is utterly unacceptable!"

"Ushishishishi, it doesn't look like it matters now, the Boss already consented to it." Bel laughed as he eyed Chrome maliciously but frowned when she continued to display more interest to the floor.

As thought the floor was more worthy of her attention than the people who was honestly threatening her life now that her only protector was gone.

Xanxus kept on frowning at the woman, hating her for her weakness, for the lack of energy he had expected and counted on in his Varia. But if the baby was right taking her in albeit temporarily under his wing would deal Sawada a hard blow. Speaking of which wasn't the brat's birthday coming up soon? Without a doubt he would receive an invitation and, perhaps, just this once, he would go. Just to stir things up.

A sadistic light came into his eyes at the very thought. Something Squalo noticed and frowned at before mentally wincing. That little gleam in his boss' crimson eyes boded no good for the person it was directed to and since he did not seem to be staring at Dokuro then it may be directed at Reborn's words. Everyone knew Xanxus lived to torture and drive the 10th Vongola crazy.

His frown deepened at the sight of the Dokuro woman. She was exquisite, as usual what with her flowing purple hair, porcelain skin that looked almost too cold to touch. An eye the color of a bruised violet and lips the color of newly bloomed pink tulips. The presence of her trident made her all the more dangerous and alluring; a captivating contrast to the fragility her shapely frame announced.

An angler fish who lured its prey by her light and killed it with her fangs once they were caught.

If Ranking Fuuta was to be believed, Chrome Dokuro was Top Three among the most desirable women who fought in the Mafia but this is where information about her ended. Mammon never seemed interested in getting information about her and all they knew about her was that she was the vessel of the criminal Rokudo Mukuro. The Varia, ever blinded by those they considered strong bypassed her presence as insignificant for her more powerful counterpart thus pushing a cloud of impenetrable mist over her person. Even their memories of the incident with the Trinisette ten years later from when she was no more than 13 when they were all younger only provided her with minimum importance.

If Tsunayoshi didn't like letting such a weakling out of his sight, it may be just because he was obligated to protect the weak but from Reborn's words it seemed something a little bit more complicated was going on in the Decimo's camp.

There was something really strange going on here.

Maybe he should drop the Bronco a line.

"Well, what are _you_ standing there for?" Xanxus suddenly asked her coldly, obviously done with his contemplations. "Get out of my sight."

Squalo thought she was going to cry or scream or do whatever a minion did best when faced with the impending wrath of the Varia boss. Run to the edges of eternity. But as to be expected from any of Tsuna's Guardians she held herself properly and poised and still with that relatively blank look on her face that Squalo found he did not like at all. He couldn't understand what she was thinking.

"As you wish, Xanxus-sama." She bowed her head slightly before turning on her heel to start walking away, not bothering to ask for any sort of duties or any other information from them.

Not needing them at all.

Her soft, solid voice made something vibrate inside Xanxus and it made him sit up a little straighter, watch her a little more closer all of a sudden, wondering what made him so suddenly, achingly conscious of her. And then it hit him. This was the first time he had ever heard her say his _name_.

"Hey, I'll show you to your room!" Lussuria offered as he began to step forward, intrigued at the possibility of a female guest he could play with.

Squalo scowled at the peacock wondering how he would take Chrome to her non existent room since it was obvious that Reborn had taken them all by surprise with this visit.

"No thank you," her voice trailed after her like a ribbon in the wind. "I will manage."

And without another word she pushed the double doors that led to the room open and stepped outside. Then, after another short, formal bow, she closed them back again leaving Xanxus and his squad to watch her go.

"The fuck…?" Squalo could only manage as he glanced at the shell shocked face his boss wore.

"Boss, are you alright?" Levi was kneeling at his side, crying his eyes out. "Did that witch do anything to you when you caught her evil eye?"

"Ushishi~ quit that, Levi, we could all see how you were drooling over her the moment she walked through that door," Bel laughed mockingly. "Although I can't say I can blame you. She was quite lovely with that cut up expression on her face trying not to care she was being thrown here with us."

"Shut up, Bel!"

"What, you wanna fight?"

"Ohhh~ do you mind if I get in between~? Why don't we join in, Squ-chan?"

"YOU TOUCH ME WITH THOSE PERVERTED HANDS OF YOURS, PEACOCK, AND I SWEAR I WILL CUT YOU THE FUCK UP!"

"Shut up, scumbags." As usual, Xanxus' powerful voice brooked no disobedience and all felt silent again. "Let her do what she wants; I'll let her stay until that brat Sawada Tsunayoshi's 25th birthday and then I'll test what that Arcobaleno was saying."

"Are you sure about this boss?" Levi gasped, astonished at the magnanimity hidden in those words. "She might be a spy sent here by the Decimo to try and take you down!"

"Then that would be stupid of her," Xanxus reached for the glass of tequila he had been enjoying before Reborn was escorted in by his officers. "Because that would be the last thing she would ever do. Squalo."

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I need to tell you what to do at this point."

The shark smirked. "Of course; I'll be dropping that stupid Dino a line later."

"Hn, now all of you, get out of my sight."

And the rest of them walked out of the room with swift strides, unwilling to bear the brunt of their boss' anger. It proved to be the wisest thing to do since Xanxus didn't want anyone to witness how he was brooding over his reaction to that scumbitch calling out his name. It sparked some sort of vibrating need for him to hear it said like that again.

Disgusting.

It didn't matter; she would have to be an idiot to try anything under his nose. He would ignore her as though she was never really in the castle at all; Squalo would know what to do with her, after all and she knew what to do as Mammon's replacement. Yes. All she was was a tool he was going to use to piss off Tsunayoshi.

He chuckled deeply, already imagining the look on the Decimo's face when the time came.

He couldn't wait…

/*****/

"Hey, chibi. Is this the solution you were talking about on the phone?"

Reborn held onto the edge of his fedora before answering his psychic counterpart even as he rode on Leon who transformed into a paper airplane and Phantasma levitated Viper beside him. "Just call it convenient and be thankful."

"…This is like throwing her in with the wolves," Mammon commented after another subtle glance back at the Varia Headquarters they just left behind. "I may not care what happens to her on a personal level but Varia is not a place for her kind."

Reborn almost sighed. "I have no other choice."

"…So it really is that serious?" Viper asked after a while, wondering how he would profit from this confirmation to the information he had gathered.

Reborn remained unsurprised that his fellow Arcobaleno knew what was going on behind the Vongola Decimo's ranks. Viper was the Varia's Head of Intelligence, after all. "How much does the rest of the Varia know?"

"Nothing," the illusionist shrugged. "Why should I give them any information for free?"

At that, Reborn smirked at the esper's predictability. "In any case, if I know anything about Xanxus, I'm sure he'll find out sooner or later; probably on Tsuna's birthday."

The hitman laughed at the crestfallen look on Viper's face. "Mu! You just cost me an opportunity to make money; how dare you, Reborn?"

"Does it really matter? You won't be able to make money off it right now since we both won't be there in time for that fiasco to blow out of proportion." He shrugged.

The Arcobaleno of the Mist sighed as he continued to fly beside the home tutor. "Yes. Removing the curse should always take priority."

/*****/

Chrome's presence was easily ignored.

She was commissioned a cat suit version of the Varia uniform Squalo wore, lovingly embracing her beautiful body like a lover; the slight difference was that along the fur lined hood came a fur lined black cloak that concealed her form in its voluminous folds which was just as well. Squalo knew it would be a hell of a lot harder getting his minions to obey him if they started salivating after her like dogs in heat. And if the headquarters became even slightly disorganized, Xanxus would have his head served on a platter for dinner while he ate roast beef beside it.

He thanked all the gods that Chrome was also an unassuming person; preferring to keep to herself and rarely roamed around the castle. If she did roam around the shark was pleased to note that she did so with her illusions tightly hiding her from the Varia henchmen who had already been gossiping about Marmon's replacement and wondering if it were true. Of course, Squalo dealt with such insubordination with immediate punishment, making sure they were unable to walk for a few days or so.

Despite all this he couldn't help but be curious about her as well. It had been a week and yet they didn't even know where the woman was sleeping.

She wasn't in any of the guest bedrooms; she wasn't in Marmon's rooms and she most definitely was _not_ bunking in the barracks along with the other scum. They would see her slip in and out of the kitchen for meals sometimes making sure she never had an excuse to join the officers and the boss for meals although it would have been her right to do so; or catch a glimpse of her illusion hidden body from a distance. Lussuria had tried to catch her but he had yet to be successful. Belphegor, wanting her to wear some sort of ridiculous hat that looked suspiciously like the one he made Fran wear when he stepped in as Marmon's replacement during the war with Millefiore was disappointed and baffled with his failure to catch her outside of meetings. Levi denounced her loudly and harshly despite the perverted thoughts that were probably running in his head and Xanxus was… well Xanxus. Locked in his office assembling pistols and guns or running through their supply of Mexican tequila. He sometimes wondered if their boss remembered they even _had_ a guest.

However, little things that they couldn't help but notice occurred around them, ones that only an officer like him would know.

Normally, Mammon would ignore any sort of chore he was not being paid for which; in his case; was anything and everything outside intel gathering. Paperwork and the small things like groceries and supplies were something that Squalo or Lussuria had to handle personally. Belphegor wouldn't know how to handle paperwork if it bit him in the ass colored itself pink and sang him a song. Levi was too busy fawning over Xanxus to be even bothered outside their boss' direct orders and Xanxus couldn't be bothered by paperwork since God knows he didn't have the patience for it unless it required his personal attention so the shark needed to be thoroughly careful as to what he showed Xanxus or not.

But ever since she came around he would find most of his paperwork done and ready; the supplies all complete and replenished. Even the sheets and the covers for every bedroom have become fresh every week now as opposed to the housekeeping they hired every other month or so. In fact, the only strangeness he had seen was a receipt and a list of computer parts he couldn't make heads or tails of but had a letter attached saying she was asking permission to 'spruce up security', whatever the hell that meant. Life was the same and yet it wasn't because of her. It was like she had become a strange afterthought in their lives but was slowly becoming a great convenience because Squalo was no fool. He knew she was behind all the support that was making his job easier and it frustrated him that she wasn't acting like a Varia minion and showing off her physical abilities. The Varia just didn't work that way. They would never care or respect her just because she was good in bureaucracy and a great pencil pusher. Was this the reason why Reborn said she had become indispensable to Sawada?

Also, his conversation with the Bucking Horse had been… strange.

The usually straightforward and easy going Cavallione don had been skittish throughout Squalo's inquiry about Chrome Dokuro. It was as though there was something he was avoiding saying. And then the bastard cut the line off him and he wasn't able to contact him ever since.

Fucking bastard.

It irritated him that this small errand he was doing for Xanxus was now starting to become a major obsession to him. Squalo _hated_ mysteries as a rule. He was a fairly straightforward guy that liked things easily read and done. In many instances he supposed he was like a sword himself.

He sees sword, he picks up sword. He sees enemy; he kills enemy. If they try to beg for mercy, he smirks, spits at them, and then slashes them through quickly.

Clean and simple and only slightly messy.

But this whole mystery with the fucking Mist Guardian was making him extremely tempted to break the obvious status quo she had erected between her and the rest of the Varia and demand answers. Except that would be stupid of him since that would also risk a change in the balance she was trying so hard not to upset and something he was silently grateful for.

But what was he going to tell Xanxus? That fucked up boss of his may be lazy as hell but he was not forgetful and he had begun to catch his crimson eyes narrowing at the glaringly empty spot where Marmon was supposed to sit. Where _Chrome Dokuro_ was supposed to be. Damned bitch. Even with her trying to be invisible she was _still_ trouble.

Squalo rubbed his face with a palm harshly and strode over towards his balcony to partake of the cold night air. He had taken off his coat, jacket and shirt earlier so now all he had on were his leather pants and a white wife beater that pulled at every available muscle it covered so he could feel his hair tickling his arms as he broke himself a can of beer, contemplating his dilemma. He really didn't know how to handle this problem and mentally reminded himself that this was the reason why they didn't have women in the Varia.

He sighed as he took a swig of the cold beverage, allowing himself to finally relax. It had been a long day and apart from his investigations he still needed to take his turn training the recruits. He watched as the guards milled around the castle making sure everything was safe and secure. He scowled down at their attentive behaviors and alert stances, proud that he had been able to drill some sort of skill in their thick skulls.

Satisfied that the headquarters was well fortified, the Varia Rain Guardian chugged down the last of his beer and then turned in to sleep.

/*****/

"Commander, Squad 03 has successfully infiltrated Varia headquarters, over."

"Very good," a man holding out a gun which looked similar to a bayonet smirked into his earpiece. "How about Squads 4 through 8?"

"Affirmative, we are currently inside Varia walls; your orders, sir?" answered a disembodied male voice through the communicator.

"Begin the hunt," the Commander; a large, rough looking man who seemed to be in his 40s replied, a grim look on his face that could rival any marine in existence. The high tech looking swat uniform he and his men wore blended perfectly in the dark of the forests surrounding the Varia headquarters and with the state of the art stealth equipment installed into their Kevlar vests it would be nigh on impossible for the enemy to spot them until it was too late. "Find the target. I want Xanxus dead."


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**AN**: If you guys know about Selphie's Limit Break 'The End' in FF8 then you'd know how Chrome did her move later on in this story.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Chapter Two**:

Xanxus had yet to sleep in the middle of that night. He merely sat there in a deceptively brooding state drinking more tequila while contemplating the source of his irritation.

She was not there. Again. At dinner.

His dark hand tightened over the bottle he was drinking from. The only reason why he didn't break it was because he didn't want to mess himself up again and have to take a shower.

Contrary to Squalo's belief, he was aware of all the changes happening around in the headquarters; he was insane, not blind. Even he couldn't fail to notice how the sheets offered him a more comfortable rest and how he never had to yell for whatever food he wanted thus steadily decreasing the number of minions he had to kill whenever he wasn't happy with his meals. He didn't know what else has changed around the base but he was sure Squalo was feeling it too since he had noticed the shark had been around more despite his constant forays outside to investigate the same woman that had caused this major change.

What a weak, insignificant woman. He wanted to kill the bitch so badly.

'_Xanxus-sama…'_

A loud breaking sound coming from the bottle he was nursing exploded in the room and Xanxus found himself wearing the predicament he had been avoiding at the memory of her voice calling out his name. Damn it why can't he forget it? Why was it so hard? He should totally erase her!

"Fuck this…" he muttered deciding he would forego his bath and just pick up another tequila bottle.

He got up towards his wet bar only to find that he was out of tequila; it seemed he had been breaking the bottles more often this past week than he had been drinking them. Cursing, he decided to go down to the storage room and get another pair, keeping a mental note to make Levi properly restock his bar in the morning.

Still dressed in his bathrobe, black pajama bottoms underneath and foregoing a shirt altogether, Xanxus made his way down the hallways towards the wine cellar. It was dreadfully cold but he was not the Varia boss for nothing. The extreme heat his body radiated expelled the cold; the front of his robe was even open as though daring the cold to touch him. It didn't matter that he reeked of alcohol. He owned these halls and it knew it.

As the Varia boss passed by several empty guest rooms he couldn't help but wonder again where the little bitch was sleeping. He knew for a fact that if anybody knew where she let's her guard down he would have found out about it already. But all he could hear from his officers were their frustration that they had no idea where that woman was sleeping at all. Surely she must have _already_ made herself comfortable _somewhere_ in the castle. It would be insane not to from all the work she had been doing and the fact that he had seen neither hide nor hair of her this past week since he sent her out of his sight. He was too stubborn to look for her himself but that didn't mean he was not seething in the inside at what he considered _rude_ behavior.

He had just turned a corner when his battle honed senses tingled at the amount of killing intent that suddenly pressed down on him from all corners of his own halls. At the realization he smirked. He would have Squalo's head for neglecting security.

"Alright, who's got the balls?" he muttered as his eyes flared at the increasing number of intruders littering in his halls. Fuck his guns; he would kill all of them with his bare hands. "Come out, you pieces of scum!"

"All units, this is Squad 06; we have found the target, what are your orders?"

Static silence and then, "Engage."

And like a bullet waiting for a trigger all the men who had been standing by watching Xanxus from the moment he stepped around the corner to the moment he stopped and looked around him suspiciously, charged at the Varia boss with their weapons drawn.

Xanxus noted they weren't just a bunch of thugs as he started observing the way they attacked him. A half dozen of them charged at him with weapons raised while another half dozen knelt some distance away ready to shoot him where he stood. And then one of them threw a bomb at him just as they were advancing, probably hoping to blow him up to avoid losses to their ranks. The bastards had military training.

He was more than ready to oblige by releasing his flame of Wrath from his body, ready to burn them all to a crisp. However the bomb thrown at him was no ordinary bomb at all. Instead he discovered it was some sort of chemical bomb that exploded a great amount of sticky foam and Xanxus wondered whether or not they were trying to drug him. But he was proven wrong when the smoke acted as some sort of fire extinguisher and reacted to his flames by putting it out. He tried to summon Bester out but without any Dying Will Flames the box animal was useless. Thinking he was helpless now, the rest of the enemies approached him and started shooting off their bullets.

Realizing what just happened; Xanxus' rage reached a peak where it knew no bounds. "BASTAAAAARDSSS!"

Crazed fury enveloped him as he decided he didn't care if he could use his flames or not; these scumbags were going to DIE.

Just as they were about to swarm the scarred Varia leader, a cloud of vapor suddenly surrounded him much to his surprise. This mist prevented his enemies from coming any closer to him as he merely stood there, waiting for them to approach. Even their bullets failed to reach him through the circular cloud and even as his boggled mind wrapped itself around the concept, he looked up.

And there, from the remains of the thick fog floating on the ceiling created by the bomb earlier, Chrome Dokuro slipped out as though she were formerly a part of it, her long, unbound hair streaming behind her like a banner of death. She was holding onto her elongated trident now even as her Mist flames engulfed her hand where her Vongola Mist ring was, transferring some of its flame onto the trident that she was now using in a defensive stance. She had waved it in a wide semi circle even before she landed, crouched in front of Xanxus and the transparent Mist shield around him. The semi circle lashed out around the enemy by about 5 feet and at first, nothing happened… until Chrome stood up, both hands on the handle of her trident and tapped the end of the staff on the floor. The group within that 5 foot radius was then engulfed in a field of flowers and found themselves unable to move in their confusion. As she did, Xanxus noted an explosion of fragrance emanating from her… the scent of a flower he didn't recognize…

"The. End…" Chrome muttered and at the word, the illusion shattered taking the enemy's minds along with them.

"What the hell…?"

"Who is that?"

"WHO CARES JUST SHOOT HER! SHOOT HER!"

"Please stay here a moment," the Varia boss' surprised eyes trailed over Chrome's back as she stood in front of him in a ready position. "Xanxus-sama…"

He felt his heart stop for a bit at the sound of his name from her lips again. Soft and unassuming and barely above a whisper just like her personality. It satisfied him and yet discontented him all at the same time as though he had been fed but had not been given his fill.

And why was she protecting him? Did she think him so weak? A new kind of anger bubbled inside him at the thought. He tried to step forward to join in on the fray but Xanxus found he couldn't move. The barrier worked two ways; it kept the enemies out but it also kept him in.

Bullets rang all through the hallways of the Varia headquarters with enough noise to wake up the dead. Xanxus had straightened his stance and watched what was going on with a dark scowl on his face; in particularly, his crimson eyes watched every move the woman made.

Was she in such a rush to protect him that she forgot to change her clothes? She was only wearing a small white tank top and a pair of lady's boxer shorts showcasing her long, smooth legs and arms and left next to nothing to the imagination. While the male part of him appreciated the view quite fiercely the assassin in him was locked to the smooth movements she made as she used her trident like a long staff to disarm her opponents and render them unconscious. Xanxus watched as one particular man was too stubborn to let go of his weapon and she buried the sharp end of her trident into his chest, blood splashing over her porcelain cheeks that glowed on a face that held no expression. Also she flitted around from one enemy to the next with the speed of someone who could be teleporting. Appearing before opponents in a way where she hovered in front of them for a bit like a bloody, wingless angel trapped in slow motion before speeding up and striking them down.

Like a female version of St. Michael.

It took Xanxus' breath away and made his blood boil with an emotion he thought might be anger and yet it was a bit more complicated. His rage had never made him want to touch the object of his anger with a desire to find out if they were truly real or a product of his imagination before…

"BOSS!" it was Squalo and the others already reaping through the remaining enemy lines with a fervor that made some of the intruders take a step back. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING JUST STANDING THE—?"

Xanxus could understand why his second in command was suddenly cut off mid yell. They both caught the slim figure of the Vongola Mist Guardian as she launched a guerilla attack by using the smoke from all the gunpowder being launched as a smokescreen, slipping out of the curtain of thick vapor while the enemy looked around up at the ceiling looking for her and as soon as she was behind them she glided out from the smoke like a wraith and attacked before retreating back into the mist again.

The rest of Varia merely stood there admiring the scene she made while killing any who dared approach and attack them.

"Oh my, how daring~" Lussuria kicked at one of the intruders who thought he was the easiest one to target and ended up with a twisted neck instead.

"Ushishishi…" Bel wiggled his fingers and soon the rest of the riff raff had fallen at his feet; dead. "This is great timing; the prince had been bored for a while now; these peasants make for good entertainment."

"H-how voluptuous…" Levi muttered beside Lussuria, practically drooling as he watched Chrome standing over her last foe, her trident face down and being pulled out of the human body that foolishly resisted her efforts to render unconscious.

Xanxus had to silently agree as he glared at the woman, her cheeks and bare legs splattered with the blood she had shed as she started walking barefoot among the dead and dying, her upturned face looking up the ceiling to see if there were anymore enemies that might endanger them all. Then she stilled reached out a hand towards the empty hallway opposite of where they were, a fragile coating of mist indicating she was using her powers and spreading her senses out to make sure there was no danger in their immediate vicinity. She might have needed a bit more to use this trick since Xanxus could feel a loosening in the air around him and noticed the mist barrier she had surrounded him with earlier was gradually being removed from his person.

Absently, the Varia leader noted that Marmon was never this considerate.

The rest of his Varia were too captivated by her to make a noise and do anything else but stare; probably ogling her almost nude body that seemed to glow under the light of the lamps that gave light to these corridors.

Suddenly, the thought of her displaying all that lovely skin in front of others pissed him off. That, in addition to the deep and unidentified mound of frustration that had clutched him in its grip the moment he heard her say his name again sparked such a strong arousal in him he almost growled with need. But such primitive impulses were for weaklings and just randomly using the Vongola Mist Guardian to sate the urge would only invite a million complications he would be wise to avoid. So he did the only thing he could at that point.

While she was distracted with her apparent scan of the area to verify their safety, Xanxus approached her with long strides and a thunderous expression that it caused Squalo and the others to step back away from him, fearful of his wrath. As soon as he was within five feet of her she must have sensed his approach because she snapped out of her trance and turned to stare at him, her eyes still holding that sleepy quality one had after a long sleep or a deep meditation. It only fueled Xanxus' desire to have her.

"Xanxus-sama…?" she began in that breathy voice, still fresh from the efforts of battle and something in him broke at the sound of it.

It almost drove him to his knees before her. Xanxus gritted his teeth against the desire to throw caution out of the window and just fuck her senseless right then and there but he was stronger than that. His Varia pride would never allow him to be ruled over by a mere woman and giving in to this base need was similar to admitting defeat.

As if to prove she had no such hold over him, the scarred man violently reached out and strangled her with one large hand and lifted her off the bloody floor by her lily white neck the action causing her to drop her trident to the floor and struggle to breathe.

"Xan-chan?" Lussuria exclaimed out in confusion.

"The fuck… BOSS!" he heard Squalo yell from behind him but Xanxus ignored this.

All his rage, all his shame, all his _desire_ was reserved only for this woman that had infected his mind and body the mere moment she said his _name_. And it only fueled his rage that it took only that small gesture of hers to reduce him into this vile puddle of need. The rage helped to exert his will over his physical desires and he took advantage of that maliciously.

"Bitch," he growled at her as Chrome held onto his much thicker arm stretched above his head and keeping her feet off the floor, struggling to find purchase and room for her to breathe but obviously failing. Xanxus couldn't help but notice that, although her hands were trying to pull his away she was doing so in a way that would not hurt him by scratching at him with her nails. Smart girl. Had she wounded him he would have interpreted that as an invitation. "Did you think I was so weak that I needed to be trapped in that pathetic barrier?"

She opened her one eye to look at him and Xanxus squeezed her neck harder. She was so fragile it would be so easy for him to snap her neck like a twig. "X-xanxus… sama…"

He then brought his hand closer to himself, inadvertently pulling her face close him as well until he was practically touching noses with her. The faint scent of that addicting fragrance floated all around her but he ignored the urge to inhale her like a bouquet of flowers in favor of glaring into her eyes and hissing. "I am not like your pathetic Sawada Tsunayoshi; I don't need your protection. If you ever do that to me again I will tear you _apart_; got it, bitch?"

She answered on a choked sob; it felt like music to his ears. "Y-yes… I apologize… Xanxus-sama…!"

"Xanxus, come on," Squalo stepped forward warily, obviously not liking where this was headed. "You promised the baby you wouldn't kill her."

"Tch." Xanxus stared at her flushed face and felt her soft hands trying to get him to let go of her for a moment more before flinging her away from him like a discarded doll.

She landed some feet away from him on her belly coughing. None of the other Varia dared approach her in fear of Xanxus' retaliation. After a while she struggled to stand up, her hand nursing her aching neck and Xanxus took twisted pleasure noting how his hand print would mark her skin for days to come. Just as he was turning away from her she straightened again, and he was astounded that he saw no malice or resentment on her face; not even irritation. It was the same blank and slightly sad expression she had the moment she stepped into his castle. Didn't she understand that he had almost killed her? Why then did she not seem to _care_?

"Computer," she suddenly said into the nothingness with a slightly hoarse, breathless voice and Varia stared at her in disbelief but she paid them all no mind. Instead, a bunch of holographic flat keyboards appeared around her along with some screens floating on top of them. "Scan for all remaining enemies within a 10 meter radius."

Xanxus and the others merely stared in astonishment at all this even as the disembodied female voice of the 'computer' she was addressing replied. "Scanning in progress; will your location be the base point of the search?"

"No, I've already done a scan within the immediate area of 10 feet from this point; please start outside it." Chrome replied almost sounding like the computer herself.

"Affirmative."

"Ushishishi~," Belphegor snickered, his grin intrigued. "That looks like a nice new toy."

"Since when did we have a computerized security system?" Levi asked with a dark scowl on his face, seemingly insulted.

"Who cares, it just totally saved our asses, didn't it?" Lussuria smirked as he continued to eye Chrome up and down in interest.

And then Xanxus watched as the purple eyed woman turned back towards them with that same blank expression on her face and started approaching them with long legged strides, her trident back in her hand.

"Scan completed," the computer's voice suddenly reached out to them again but Chrome never broke her stride. "Findings confirm a total of 16 more units attempting to vacate the vicinity; nearest one is 3 kilometers away."

"And the farthest?" Chrome asked softly, never breaking stride.

"6 units at 8 kilometers and running; what are your orders?"

"Eliminate."

The Varia watched the computer screens as an image of 6 men similarly garbed to the people who attacked them were all done in by miniature laser beams fine enough to pierce through their Kevlar vests and killing them all on the spot. Bel whistled in admiration.

"5 Enemies at 6 kilometers."

"Eliminate."

The same thing happened to a second batch of men on another screen in front of their eyes.

"5 more detected attempting to escape just outside 3 kilometer radius."

"Eliminate all but 3 and capture."

"Affirmative." And the screen showed another two being killed the same way on front of their comrades who had been blown back, shocked at what had happened before a series of nets spewed out of somewhere and caught them.

By that time Chrome was already close enough for them to breathe her in and again Xanxus was assaulted by the scent of the captivating fragrance she emanated. It suited her somehow, this scent.

"Commander Squalo, I have reserved 3 intruders alive within the 2nd quadrant for questioning; shall we intercept?" she looked up at the silver haired shark with an eerie, serene patience.

Xanxus narrowed his eyes as his second in command swallowed hard at the sight of her; it pissed him off that she didn't seem to _care_.

Squalo proved to him yet again how worthy he was to be his second in command when the shark turned away and yelled at the minions who were starting to arrive at the scene to see what the commotion was all about at the top of his considerable lungs instead of enjoying the sight she presented. "VOIII! WHAT ARE YOU SCUMBAGS DOING GAPING THERE LIKE LANDED TUNA? YOU WANT ME TO CUT YOU UP INTO SASHIMI? GET YOUR ASSES TO 2ND QUADRANT AND TAKE THOSE BASTARDS IN!"

The Varia henchmen stopped in their tracks, stiffened before running for the other direction. "Y-yes, sir!"

While Squalo was yelling his lungs off, Xanxus narrowed his eyes on the woman again as she turned her attention back to him and came near; as though the fact that he had tried to strangle her to death mercilessly a few minutes ago didn't just occur. She did not meet his eyes, it was as though he wasn't even there and for a moment he wondered if she was going to walk right through him. And then she stopped before him, looking quite closely at a spot on his chest. For any other man this would have been uncomfortable and faintly embarrassing since such intense scrutiny from a beautiful woman would be hard to be taken lightly. Was she going to reprimand him? Complain of her treatment? Get back at him?

But she did none of those and instead reached out an index finger towards his broad and scarred chest. At first he wondered if she was planning to poke him to death; and then she swiped something off his skin which she brought closer to her good eye for a better inspection. Her touch left a burn on him that was invisible to the eye.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing to the boss?" Levi yelled at her furiously.

"Ushishishi~ oh? What's that?" Bel trotted over to her and looked at the foamy, creamy substance on her fingertip. "Is that shaving cream, Boss?"

Xanxus' eyes flashed as he remembered what that foam was now. It was the element that doused his Dying Will Flames. He watched in silence as Chrome turned away from them to inspect the many bodies around them and found what she was looking for. A drinking canteen made of aluminum strung around one of the corpses' belts. Putting down her trident, she swished water in the cup that served as the canteen's lid until it was clean before drying it and putting the piece of foam inside. She then waved her wrist and the holographic computer console zoomed to her side effortlessly. She typed something on the board and a familiar face came on the monitor in front of her almost immediately.

"Hello, Basil." She greeted the young man politely.

Xanxus scowled at the happy and adoring look on the brat's face the moment he recognized who was calling. "Chrome! How hast thou been? Where art thou now?"

Chrome spared him a faint smile that softened her violet eyes; it made Xanxus grit his teeth at the remarkable change in her demeanor at the sight. "That's not important right now, is Lal there?"

"She just left for the day, is there something I can do?" Basil asked his voice too eager for the Varia boss' taste.

"Just a little favor," Chrome nodded before slightly shaking the aluminum cup at the monitor beside her face. "Can you guys look into this for me?"

Basil's brow furrowed at that. "What is that?"

"That's what I need you to tell me," Chrome straightened, careful not to let any of the Varia be seen on the monitor. "I'll have it delivered tomorrow; give Master Lal my regards."

"Sure, will do."

"And, Basil?"

Basil blinked at the serious tone in her voice that made him sit up in front of his monitor just a little bit straighter. "Yes?"

"Treat this with high importance and confidentiality."

The CEDEF agent's brows pulled up in a gesture of surprise before lowering into a more serious and determined expression. "I shall."

Chrome nodded and terminated the call before turning slightly towards the Varia, her smile gone and her soft voice gaining back its old soft monotone. "I need to secure the delivery and make sure it is not intercepted; I will submit my report later, is that alright, Commander Squalo?"

"What? Er, um…" he glanced uncertainly at Xanxus who was fairly radiating with bottled up displeasure. As opposed to his expressive anger, the fact that he was trying to repress his rage was enough of a go ahead signal as any. "Sure, we'll be waiting in the conference room. Make sure you're not late… And for God's sake wear some decent clothing, woman!"

As though this were some cue, the woman seemed to have been brought back to her senses at the comment and looked down at herself for the first time. And when she finally found out what Squalo was referring to, her face ran red with a blush.

"Ah!" she turned away from them, now acting like a silly, prudish virgin. "S-sorry…!"

And then she lightly hopped into the air on one foot and vanished in a thin mist.

All the men were speechless for a while before Lussuria and Belphegor broke into a line of snickers.

"Wow," Bel remarked in the middle of his laughter. "She must have been in such a hurry to forget she was still wearing her pyjamas out here, ushishishishi~"

"Poor thing," Lussuria added in, batting his eyelashes. "But she looked so cute, though; I wish you didn't have to do that, Squ-chan."

"LAY OFF, PERVERTED PEACOCK," Squalo yelled at the multicolored haired assassin. "SHE DESERVES BETTER THAN BE OGLED BY IDIOTS LIKE YOU ESPECIALLY SINCE IF IT WEREN'T FOR HER ALL OF YOU MIGHT HAVE WOUND UP DEAD BY NOW!"

"Hmph!" Levi glared and sneered. "That was nothing! If I realized the enemy was here too I would have come to help Xanxus-sama as well!"

Deciding he had enough of their voices, Xanxus turned around to wait in the conference room but decided to make a beeline for his rooms at the last moment, not wanting to admit but knowing he was eager for her return. "Squalo."

"Yeah, boss?"

"Clean up this garbage."

"Got it; OI, SCUMBAGS! YEAH I MEAN YOU, YOU MORONS! GET THESE PIECES OF TRASH OUT OF HERE!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

Several more minions ran towards their silver haired commander, more than ready to oblige. Xanxus ignored them and looked down at himself again. He was still covered in that gunk from that damned canister those bastards threw at him earlier. He had conceded that the woman was right to put examination of that chemical under the highest of priority. Anything that could extinguish such a high level Flame such as his was worth looking into. As soon as he was back into the safety of his personal dorms Xanxus tried to release some of his flame again but it failed to come back. After a run under the shower, though, he tried it again and was gratified when his Flame of Wrath flared merrily like a demonic greeting in his hands.

Reaching his wet bar and remembering he was out of tequila, he instead reached for a bottle of Martel and poured himself a glass while contemplating what happened tonight and he couldn't help but notice how the woman saved his pride by failing to mention how that chemical rendered him helpless and without his flames. He scowled into his half empty glass.

That woman (or should he call her Sawada's woman?) was something he wasn't expecting. But could he afford giving her more attention? His response to her was… unnerving. Her indifference to his violence even though it had already been directed towards her only made it more so. Something he would only be willing to admit to himself while he was alone and away from speculative eyes. He suddenly had the urge to open her up and dig out all her secrets; wanted to rip her open until he had completely invaded her very existence. Wanted that softening in her wounded violet eye directed at him and only him until he tired of her and threw her away…

"Shit…" Xanxus cursed.

He was an adult man in an adult body; sure he looked younger than he seemed thanks to the 9th's punishment a long time ago but he was aware of an adult man's needs. For a long time that need had been fulfilled quite satisfactorily by his bloodlust… His forays with women always ended up quickly and methodically; just a quick release and he made damn sure he didn't get any of them pregnant. He was in and out and left the fee on their bedside tables before he left never to see them again. Only twice had he been with the same woman for more than once and the maximum times he had spent in those women's beds only amounted to twice as well. But with that scumbitch…

Xanxus closed his eyes as he downed the rest of his Martel into his throat trying to forget how the Vongola Mist Guardian smelled like… how soft she felt… how beautiful she looked on that battlefield… It was the first time he had ever wanted to take his time with a woman. To caress her and enjoy her softness and hear her say his name over and over again…

"Fuck…" he cursed furiously, chucking his glass at the open fireplace and watching it blaze in a brief moment of glory before abating. "Like hell I'm going to let her take over me… I AM XANXUS! YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH!"

Base urges were for weak men like Sawada Tsunayoshi and he knew he was _stronger_ than that brat. He'll prove it to everyone and especially to himself. He would _erase_ her if he had to.

And with that resolve in his mind, Xanxus turned to his closet, dressed and went on to convene with his officers in the conference room leaving his room to act as the silent witness to his furious vow.

/*****/

**AN**: Next up; we'll have a look see inside Chrome's head.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: ****Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme: ****Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: ****Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**deadly-chronicles**: Of course I'm continuing this story; it's the reason why I put in my author's notes not expect regular updates so I won't feel pressure to update. Thank you for appreciating the story and I hope I will keep receiving reviews from you.

**DannyTF94**: Ohohoho~ all will be revealed at Tsuna's birthday a few chapters from now. Thank you so much for the review!

**WeAreMadland**: I see you really did add me on your Faves list lol; thanks!

**Chapter 3**

"Mukurou…"

The box weapon hovered in front of its mistress slowly, its wise eyes observing the usual look of melancholy on the Vongola Mist Guardian's face.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm fine." Chrome tried to smile at the animal.

But the wizened, cynical look on the bird's wide eyes silently told her that even the Mist cannot lie to itself no matter how good it was at lying to others… At least that would have been what her Mukuro-sama would have said.

But that did not stop Chrome from trying if only to save the people she cared about the agony of worry. "I'm fine, I promise."

The glowing owl hooted resignedly and settled onto the stone ledge that served as the sill for the wide, gaping windows surrounding the circular tower room located in the far eastern part of the Varia headquarters.

Chrome gave it a warm smile for its complacency. "Thank you, Mukurou."

Again the Mist owl hooted rather grumpily but Chrome ignored this by holding out the plastic wrapped aluminum glass she placed the sample of the foam in; sealed and ready for delivery. "Do me a favor, will you? Please take this to Basil for me."

The owl cocked its head at the plastic bag curiously for a moment before holding out its clawed right talon to accept its charge. Chrome smiled as she carefully tied the small package around the foot and gently allowed the snowy colored bird onto her forearm for the launch.

"Make sure you cover yourself with a cloak and don't be seen by anyone other than Basil. Be careful," she told the little animal with a loving stroke to its head. "You're all I have left."

The owl spread its wings and flapped them once proudly as though telling her not to worry before she raised her forearm high up in the air, giving the owl the necessary boost to begin its flight.

Chrome watched her box animal go, confident in its special and little known ability to move on its own even with her so far away. Listening to her advice it even cloaked itself in a mist that allowed itself to seem like a chameleon blending in the darkness of the sky. By getting stronger her box animal can now let it carry a part of her flame and she could send Mukurou anywhere she wanted without fearing for its safety and it has proved convenient for times such as these. It was a skill few knew, even within the Vongola, developed specifically for such special purpose. By morning she was sure Basil would have received the package.

The Vongola Mist Guardian sighed and turned back towards 'her room'.

An old, unused tower room with a large stone balcony for one wall viewing the eastern side of the castle and its forest clearly. When she saw it included in the Mist map Mammon gave her she had already decided she would stay there in favor of the guestrooms scattered across the Varia headquarters. It would give her the perfect chance to be left alone. Kami knew she needed it especially among people she hardly even knew as something other than a bunch of unruly, violent men who were somehow allied to the Vongola she served. She had never interacted with any of them except for Mammon a couple of times and those were only to fight him or to receive faint praise and Squalo in that parallel universe. And since she still kept that ingrained shyness inside herself, she couldn't force herself to mingle. She understood why Reborn would drop her here for a while— the Boss would certainly never look for her here— but she didn't have to like it. Not that she hated the Varia, of course, she didn't think she knew them enough to dislike them; it was just that she felt safer here somehow.

The room was wide and spacious and though it carried an air of disuse it was still serviceable and tolerable except for the fact that it had no fireplace to keep herself warm at night. Thank goodness she found some sleeping bags in the storeroom when she searched for bedding. As for the plain, damp walls well… a series of well placed illusions took care of that. Right now her room looked similar to the way her room back in the Vongola headquarters looked like. The one Tsuna himself claimed to have made to order for her before she moved in. Complete with the beautiful Italian moldings and cream colored wall papers and the beautiful oil paintings of flowers and forest scenes… And the particular eye catching one of her and all the Guardians surrounding their Boss in their dark suits. It was a photo, originally but Hayato decided it was better if an oil painting of it was made. This one hanging in front of her make shift bedding was an exact replica and somehow made it into her illusions, sneaking into her consciousness somehow.

The Boss himself was sitting on a luxurious chair upholstered with red velvet and wearing a white suit. Even with the relaxed pose the eternal frown on his brow remained as he stared at the camera solemnly. Hayato was standing at his right in a black suit standing straight and smugly proud. Takeshi leaned casually over to the left of the chair wearing a black suit but without a necktie and had a long arm slung over the back of the Boss' chair wearing a grin so wide Chrome had always wondered if it hurt. Ryohei stood beside Hayato with a cheeky smile and his bandage wrapped fist aimed at the camera showing off his Vongola ring while Hibari stood on profile a little behind Takeshi refusing to look at the camera at all. Lambo squatted down at Hayato's feet with an elbow resting on the Boss's armrest and the other hand raised in a small wave at the camera and her… she sat at Takeshi's feet and, as instructed by the cameraman taking the photo, she was made to rest her cheek over her hands which were folded on the Boss' left armrest, her legs tucked beneath her and her form set in a way that had made her blush for days on end no matter how many times the Boss told her she looked good in the picture.

Chrome pursed her lips at the ache she felt whenever she saw that picture and attempted to change the room into the one she had before at Kokuyo land before she was told to leave by her Mukuro-sama. The scenery changed into the desolate and condemned building she once called home and yet the painting remained on the same wall. Ingrained into her psyche like the horrible scar left on her left eye. As long as it kept appearing in her illusions she knew that scar was yet to heal.

As if on reflex, her fingertips reached towards the familiar face in the picture she longed to touch with every fiber of her being. The real reason for the scar in her heart that had always left a taste both bitter and sweet in the back of her throat since this whole affair started and her mind caught up with her heart. His name a longing sigh on her lips…

She closed her eye and kept back the tears. Were there really any left for her to shed? It would be useless anyway. It had been impossible for her from the start. She needed to move on and forget or she would ruin that which he loved the most. She did not want to hurt anymore people...

Changing into her Varia uniform she thanked goodness there was a stream just right outside the wall beyond her balcony covered by a thick copse of trees. The bath was cold but it did the job of cleaning her up of all the dried blood. It still disturbed her that the article of clothing fit her like a glove but knew better than to ask; she didn't think she'd like the answer anyway. Folding her trident into a smaller size and hanging in across her back she was ready and determinedly willed herself not to blush at the reminder that she had showed up in front of the Varia in nothing but her sleep wear. She decided she would be as nonchalant about it as she could.

She was walking down the hallway where the door to the meeting room was when something strange happened.

"WAAAHGH!"

Chrome startled when she saw Squalo thrown out of the conference room door, his back hitting the wall on the other side of that door hard enough to leave an indentation. The Varia Rain Guardian looked quite beaten up and, in instinctive concern, she ran towards him, instantly shielding him from whatever threat it was that had managed to throw _Superbi Squalo_ out a door and, with a flick, managed to lengthen her trident and took a defensive stance in front of the silver haired man unknowingly looking like a lioness protecting her cub. It was an unconscious thing for her to do, having had to do it for her Boss and the girls for so long hence why she defended Xanxus the way she did earlier. She was expecting more enemies but as she stared into the room where Squalo had been thrown from, she saw no enemy but the Varia boss himself frothing at the mouth glaring at her from in front of a large, luxurious seat surrounded by the rest of his officers. Lussuria and Belphegor were smirking at her while Levi tried to glare at her but was blushing intensely possibly because of the scene she made of herself earlier.

Her one eye blinked at the scene in confusion even as Squalo looked up at her from behind her back in surprise before seemingly shaking himself awake, standing and pushing her aside. "Stand down, Dokuro."

Chrome looked back at him in surprise. "But—"

"It's fine." He told her rather brusquely as he pushed passed her back into the room, his silver hair trailing behind him like a curtain.

All Chrome could do was follow him inside feeling like she was entering enemy territory rather than a room of allies.

"Oh, I say that shade of purple suits you quite well, Chrome-chan~" Lussuria greeted her as soon as she came inside. "It matches the color of your eye."

At first, Chrome didn't understand what the assassin was talking about; there was nothing about her clothes that was purple… and then she was reminded of the bruises around her neck and she was so taken aback that she reflexively reached for it. But Belphegor's snickering stopped her from doing so and she stilled, adopting her attentive but aloof stance. Now if she could only stop blushing…

"He'll be fine, darling," Chrome looked up, surprised to find the Varia Sun Guardian whispering right beside her ear. She didn't even hear him _move_. And now he was winking at her from behind his tinted glasses. "I'll take care of him later~"

She didn't know why but the way he said those words just now made her a tad bit uncomfortable for Squalo's sake but chose to stay silent. It was not her place to comment.

"What's wrong? Shishi… you've been avoiding me, peasant," Belphegor came up behind her and whispered in her ear, a knife lovingly caressing her smooth skin and Chrome tried not to wince at the feel of the cold metal against her. Oh how she disliked the feel of cold of steel. "Do you think you are too good for the prince?"

"Will you guys shut up?" Levi hissed at them as he eyed Xanxus with a wince. "Xanxus-sama is still talking!"

"That was the wrong answer, scumbag." Xanxus' deep growl at Squalo pulled Chrome from her inner contemplations about Lussuria and the shark and the other Varia members and instead returned her attention to the potential murder scene taking place in the room. "How the fuck could you not know?"

Squalo stood in front of the Varia boss and Chrome noted at how relaxed the silver haired assassin was in the face of certain death. Her boss was right, the Varia was scary but she tried to be as unaffected as she could. Whatever Xanxus did to his men was not her concern. She was just here to follow orders.

"Well what did you expect me to say?" Squalo snarled back in guilty irritation, his expression baffled. "I had no idea they were even around until the explosions started!"

"Maybe if you trained those morons better they would have _spotted_ them!" Xanxus roared.

"Hey I trained those idiots myself! You _know_ what I do to men who can't reach any of our standards!" Squalo yelled back.

"E-excuse us, sir!" Everyone turned to see two of Squalo's subordinates holding onto the three surviving men caught in Chrome's trap earlier, all three tied down and glaring fiercely at them all. "We've brought the garbage in!"

Chrome saw the prisoners looked like ordinary men; a pair probably no older than her and the one in the middle seemingly like in his early 40s looked as though he was the one who led the enemy squad for the attack. All three wore the Kevlar suits and black SWAT type uniforms the other enemies they fought wore down to the helmets and goggles. The Varia men threw them at their officers' feet and mercy.

All the Varia officers' faces except for Xanxus' split with very frightening grins at the sight of them. It reminded Chrome of predators who have cornered their prey and she mentally felt sorry for the poor souls who were about to face the Varia hospitality. She guessed their subordinates felt that way too from the way they scurried out of the room and closed the doors like Hell was after them.

Of course, as leader, Xanxus got first pick. Everyone understood that as he stepped towards the largest man and hefted him with one arm up into the air, his other hand holding an X-gun ready to shoot the older man in the face obviously planning to blow it up and leave a burning, headless corpse behind. The way he was already pulling at the trigger made it clear to Chrome that the Varia boss was indeed going to kill the prisoner.

"Please, wait!" she called out before she could think. The men all looked at her from the corner of their eyes, confused as to why she was stopping them. All Chrome could do was blink for a few moments before gathering her courage to speak again when the brunt of their bloodlust literally took her breath away for a moment. "Aren't you going to ask them anything first? Find out who they are? What they were doing here?"

Her calm voice that barely conveyed her urgency and confusion wrapped around the room like a silk veil and they proceeded to sneer at her thinking the Vongola Decimo's way of thinking was trying to influence them again.

"Shishishishi… why should we?

"They broke the law; NO TRESSPASSING."

"The only thing anyone deserves for attacking Xanxus-sama is death!"

"The Varia doesn't need to ask questions," Lussuria chuckled at her sinisterly. "All we need to do is kill."

Xanxus met her eye, his wrath barely contained in his crimson eyes as he looked back at her from over his shoulder for a moment before turning back towards the man he was about to kill. "Get out if you don't like it, trash, we don't need your approval."

"It's not my place to give out any sort of approval, what you all do on your own time is none of my business, it's what makes you Varia, after all," she answered, the blunt words made eerie by her soft voice and the total innocence of the comment behind it made them all stop and stare at her. "But the rest of the Vongola and its allies may need the answers they have."

Silence greeted her words; even Belphegor's eternal grin froze on his face and faltered, Lussuria had his brows raised, Levi was openly gaping at her while Squalo was looking at her like she just ate Phantasma. Chrome wondered privately what she said to gain such reactions. Did she offend them? Did she say something wrong? The Storm always did complain about her poor tact and her lack of readable emotions.

Every single one of the Varia members looked for some sort of condemnation on her face but they found none, just a niggling confusion as to why they were doing what they were doing. It surprised each and every one of them that someone from the Decimo's family would look so unaffected by the death of another person and unoffended that they took obvious pleasure in it. Perhaps it was an effect of being possessed by Rokudo Mukuro? Either way it stunned them.

Xanxus narrowed his eyes at her but the fierce color of pyrope bled out from them until his garnet eyes were left with the darker, calmer color of almandine and Chrome wondered, with a sudden thump in her chest if his eyes were capable of more colors than just those shades of red. In a way his eyes were similar to that of the Vongola Decimo's although Boss' eyes switched from spessartite to grosullarite garnets when he used his flames. Bianchi, who had a collection of these precious stones, told her that the garnets that had Tsuna's eye color were a lot more expensive and rarer than the ones that had Xanxus' eye color but for Chrome, they both had a breathtaking beauty in the intensity of the way they hit the light. In the way they seemed to catch fire and never die like embers in the dark.

The Varia boss considered her for a bit then looked at his prisoners and scowled before finally speaking. "Fine."

"WHAT?"

"But, Xanxus-sama!"

The prisoners seem to pale at the thought of being deprived of what they hoped would be a swift death from them.

"WHORE! BITCH!" the oldest male in Xanxus' arm started yelling at her angrily as he flailed in mid air, gathering the attention of the Varia. "JUST KILL US ALREADY! WE'LL NEVER TELL YOU ANYTHING!"

"You're wasting your time," snarled one of the men on the floor, the one who looked as old as her. "We were trained to resist torture!"

"You'll never break us!"

"Shishishishishi…" Belphegor's grin came back with an unholy glee as he pulled out his knives. "Those words just made me want to test that theory…"

Squalo smirked as he swung his sword aside. "I guess we owe you one, Dokuro."

Levi smirked as he cracked his knuckles. "I am going to enjoy this."

"Just wait till I get you alone~" Lussuria crooned, licking his lips.

"Will you let me borrow them before that?" Chrome asked, dubious of their abilities to hold in their murdering urges before they got anything useful out of the prisoners.

"…Alright, show me what you got, woman."

"Aww~ But Boss!"

"Tch… the prince should get first dibs."

"Shut up, scumbags."

"Please don't worry," Chrome shortened her trident again and placed it in it's now familiar sheath at her back as she approached the prisoners with her unconsciously graceful stride under the watchful eye of the Varia, her fur lined cloak floating behind her as she moved forward. "I'll make this quick."

Xanxus threw his prey on the floor towards the other prisoners who were now glaring at Chrome's expressionless face as though daring her to make them tell her what she wanted to know. The Vongola Mist Guardian knew those looks; they were the stares her enemies had given her before she drew every last strength of their sanity from them and made them spill all that they knew.

Looking into their faces, Chrome instantly found their leader and went for the oldest male who continued to glare at her defiantly. She crouched down in front of the man and met his eyes, entrancing him with the power of her mind. It was a skill she had perfected after her Mukuro-sama sent her away from him back when she was thirteen. It was a blessing and a curse for her to share the minds and memories of her victims only to break them so casually afterwards. She had always wondered when she would become numb at the sheer madness of it. The ability to torture people through the privacy of their mind.

But then again she was not here to keep her sanity… only to obey orders.

With the power of her mind she isolated the man's consciousness from his body and with her mind tied him down on what looked like an operating table. She projected an image of herself beside him and began to ask her questions aloofly.

"Who are you," she asked through their mind link. "What are you after?"

"Fuck you!" he managed to scream despite his growing panic.

"For one piece of denial you give me, you will lose one internal organ…" she told him as she held up a small scalpel and started cutting his belly open.

She made sure he was tied down in a way where he would clearly be able to see what she was doing to his own body and he started shaking the moment he saw his soft belly being parted.

"N-no! Th-this is just an i-illusion!" he stuttered but his eyes widened when her white gloved hand started pulling out his spleen. "Th-this isn't real…!"

"Are you sure…?" she whispered to him calmly as she telepathically shot the pain of losing internal organs into his mind made more realistic by the fact that she had experienced it herself. It was easy to make him doubt his own resolve. "Did you know that you can still live even without a spleen? I should probably take your liver next."

She carefully placed the dripping organ on a metal basin beside the man's head and watched indifferently as his eyes widened at the sight. He looked as though he wanted to look away but couldn't.

"It's your choice," she spoke to him again in her soft voice. "Would you like to see your intestines next?"

He started screaming when she started pulling said organ out slowly.

She merely eyed him aloofly. "I can make you do this all night."

It didn't take long but longer than she was used to. This man had an impressive will of his own. He had babbled everything he knew and she questioned him thoroughly. It was time to send him back to reality before she completely broke him.

"I'm done," she announced in that ridiculously soft voice of hers before reaching out towards the Kevlar vest the prisoner was wearing and removed a small black something from it. "Release."

At the word, the prisoner seemed to have come back to consciousness, his eyes blinking wildly. Once they focused on Chrome though, he started screaming and crying like a man gone insane. "MONSTER! MONSTEEERRRRR! SAVE MEEE!"

Chrome ignored this and turned towards the other prisoners while Squalo and the others all watched the scene in confusion as the man continued to scream and point to Chrome calling her all sorts of foul words. They didn't see her use any sort of illusion at all not even after she did the same thing to the two other prisoners.

After she was done she stood up one final time and gave a thoughtful nod to herself. "I see."

"MY LUNG! GIVE ME BACK MY _LUNG_!"

She ignored one of their yells in favor of looking at the chip in her hand over. She had three now; the implications of what she had found in their confessions almost making her faint in worry and fear.

"Shishi… What did you _do_ to them?" Belphegor asked in awe of the men's reactions.

"I gave them an anatomy lesson they'll never forget." She muttered absently, still busily fiddling with her find.

Belphegor pouted. "How come a prince like _I _never gets to have that sort of reaction when _I_ tear their lungs out?"

"VOIII, _Dokuro_," Squalo yelled at her. "What did you find out?"

But Chrome was pale and distracted.

Xanxus didn't like it one bit so he thought about buying her a little bit more time. Only because she seemed to have something of interest to say. "Oi, idiots, take these garbage out of my sight; they're irritating me."

Lussuria and Levi squawked and proceeded to obey, dragging all three men and throwing them out of the door where subordinates were instructed to take them down to the dungeons for a bit. When they came back they did not miss the extremely troubled expression on the Vongola Mist Guardian's face. It was the most expression she made since coming to Varia. They then watched as she moved her wrist with a bit more urgency and the holographic image of a computer screen with the word CALLING… popped in a small screen from her wrist. It took a while but after a minute, a blond man with a falling blue night cap on his head appeared over the monitor. It looked as though he had just crawled out of bed.

"What?" he groggily rubbed at his eyes, not even taking a look to see who it was he was speaking to.

"Spanner?" Chrome's voice seemed to have broken through the man's sleepiness as he blinked and stared at her in surprise.

"Chrome? What the hell? Do you know what time it—"

"I know I'm sorry," even Spanner's eyebrows rose up at the way ever polite Chrome cut him off mid complaint as the urgency in her voice rose. "Where's Shouichi?"

"Eh? How should I know?" he mumbled a little bit too defensively even as he blushed.

"Do you recognize these?"

She held up the microchip she had taken from the prisoners earlier and this caused Spanner to sit up so straight and stiffly all of a sudden that his night cap fell off and his eyes widened in shock. "Where did you get that?"

"Answer me."

The dead, cold tone in her voice would have made the Vongola Cloud Guardian proud.

Spanner eyed her warily. "I think you already have an idea so why are you asking me?"

"You _know_ why!" Chrome knew she might be over reacting but she couldn't help it.

These people… if she was right then the Boss…

"Alright, calm down," Spanner sighed and combed his tousled hair back with his fingers. "Geez, Yamato Nadeshiko sure are passionate when it comes to their menfolk-"

"_Spanner_."

"Okay, damn it!" he gritted his teeth before sitting properly. "I don't understand why you're so panicked, it's just the same stealth microchip you found on those people who attacked Tsunayoshi all those months ago."

"You're wrong, these are different," she told him, trying to talk herself out of her frightened state. "The computers I installed weren't able to trace any sort of heat or movement until they removed the stealth mode it was as though they were ghosts that could walk through walls! They were empty of sight, smell and sound; I'm not sure if they even had mass while they had these things turned on!"

Spanner now looked more than a little confused. "Are you telling me that they attacked Tsuna again?"

"No."

"Eh? Then why are you so—"

"They attacked _Xanxus_, Spanner; they attacked the _Varia_!" she whispered to him fiercely, oblivious to the looks she was getting from the other occupants in the room watching the conversation. "Anyone insane enough to do something like that is bound to have something planned for the Vongola!"

Spanner's brows rose at her words and a disturbed frown crossed his brow. "They're getting bolder."

"And more dangerous," she agreed with him. "Come on, Spanner, what's going on? Weren't you guys doing research on these things after I gave you a sample? What have you heard about these chips underground? Where's Shouichi now?"

"In Spain," Spanner told her, rubbing his face tiredly. "He left yesterday afternoon."

"Alone?"

"You know how he is."

"Does Hayato know?"

"I can let him know in a second."

"Don't, I'll get back to you on that one; what I want you to do right now is develop a counter to these microchips; I want to know how to make them solid again; I want to know how to counter them." She told him, her voice calm again.

Spanner frowned at her. "Chrome, where are you? Does Sawada know you're looking into this? Didn't he told you to leave it?"

"I can't," she told him quietly now. "I'm afraid it's not just my problem anymore."

"Chrome—"

"We'll talk after I have something concrete; in the meantime, don't tell them you were talking to me just now."

"But, Chrome what about _him_?"

"Thanks, Spanner; bye."

She knew what the blond mechanic meant and she wanted to avoid the topic for as long as she can get away with it. She couldn't talk about him without breaking down yet; she just can't. And at this moment she can't afford to break down.

She looked up and saw Xanxus' narrowed eyes staring at her along with the rest of the Varia, waiting for answers.

Yes, she can't break down right now. Not in front of _them_.

Not yet when she still had a job to do.

She composed herself and turned to face the Varia and steeled herself for whatever they decided to do. Whatever Xanxus decided now she would have to follow. Because whatever they did will all be in favor of the safety of the family.

"Xanxus-sama," she began in her calmest voice looking him in the eye solemnly. "Have you heard of a group called La Justicia Pasada?"

"What is that?" he scowled, resting his cheek against the palm of his hand in a deceptively lazy gesture. "A new Family?"

"No," she looked them straight in the eye and continued. "The enemy... is _not_ Mafia."

/*****/

AN: You know, guys... I realized I LIKE receiving reviews. So please take the time to leave me feedback. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**DannyTF94: **Ohohohoho~ not to worry we'll get there (wink). Can you guess who she's pining after?

**deadly-chronicles**: WAAHHH? Really? Thank you! I never even thought my writing was 'fascinating'! I'll be looking forward to what you think about this next chapter then!

**Konohanasakuya-hime**: WOW, a new reviewer; thank you so much for leaving me feedback, I greatly appreciate it! And yeah, I thought, with Xanxus being so intense when roused in anger then should he not also be that way in love? hehe I'll be looking foward to your review as well and thank you so much for adding me to your list of faves!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

Please Enjoy! ^_^v

**Chapter 4**

The announcement took every Varia member by surprise and a chorus of raised brows and narrowed eyes greeted her announcement, mostly due to disbelief. For who would _dare_ even try to oppose an institution like the Vongola and hope to get away with it?

Xanxus scowled as the woman stood in front of him and started to speak, curious despite himself. He wanted to know how this little slip of a female was able to get the information she wanted out of the pathetic garbage that dared attack him in his own castle. He was surprised that she had wanted to stop him from killing the prisoner earlier not because of the misplaced naivete he had associated with the current Vongola head but merely because she thought it would be better that they acquire information from them first. She had acted as though whatever he did was none of her business and something she expected of him. He wondered how she would react if she made it her business to stop him…

What an amusing thought.

He could also see his Varia gaining a much more concentrated interest in the woman and who could blame them? She was indeed a curious one. It was even heightened by her conversation with Spanner. It was not everyday that they were not shunned or condemned by a person like Chrome Dokuro for who they are and how they chose to live their lives. People like her who clung to the light usually feared beings like him who were the monsters in the dark. He couldn't help but feel a burst of pride in him when she told the blond mechanic that attacking his Varia was nothing short of suicidal. It only meant that she was not ignorant as to how dangerous they were and just doesn't seem to care. It was as though she had merely taken them for what they are and not for what they should be. For the life of him he could not understand what she was thinking. Why was she so frustrating? He should just blow her up but then… then he would not have come by such interesting information…

"…Not Mafia?" he finally said, motionless on his velvet chair.

"Voi," Squalo scowled, his brain already working through a list of people who had enough guts to oppose them. "What do you mean?"

"Explain." Xanxus demanded with a drawl, very interested in the prospect of teaching someone the meaning of respect.

She nodded and took a deep breath before speaking again and the Varia gathered around her like children waiting for a bedtime story.

"Last year," she started again, looking thoughtful and Xanxus couldn't help but stare, hating but loving the sound of her soft voice just the same. "Shortly after Boss' 24th birthday while he was away for a meeting with the de Vega family in Andalucía, a mysterious group tried to assassinate him; of course they failed. However, it was a source of curiosity how they managed to get in the Boss' heavily guarded hotel without alerting any of our subordinates; the only reason why the boss was not caught alone at that time was because… he was discussing something with me out in the gardens that night."

Xanxus noticed the slight hesitation in her speech but chose to ignore it in favor of her story.

"They appeared out of nowhere, just like tonight; out of thin air and armed heavily. Because of the Boss' and mine's flames they were overwhelmed easily. The Boss didn't really want to kill them, merely question them, but these men committed suicide by breaking poison capsules inside their mouths before we could subdue any of them," the Varia Boss noted the complete dispassion she held at the mention of such deaths and his interest in her rose a notch higher. "The Boss was greatly troubled by it especially when Hayato arrived and could not find any sort of affiliation on any of the men aside from the fact that they all belonged to random nationalities so this prevented a war between the de Vega and the Vongola. We have not heard anything from this group ever since and everyone thought it was just a random family trying to make a name for themselves and making trouble.

"I, however, was curious as to how they managed to make themselves invisible to human senses; I thought they possessed some sort of illusion or an illusionist who can hide so many people all at the same time," her eye returned to the microchips in her hand. "But I sensed no such being in the vicinity. While observing the corpses for any kind of identification so we could verify their affiliation, all I saw was a little microchip a little different from this one. At first I thought it was nothing so I tried to dispose of it but when I dropped one of them on one of the Kevlar vests the enemy wore that time of the attack by accident it seemed to have responded to a command the vest was designed for and it disappeared along with the chip.

"I alerted Hayato and the Boss; Hayato was interested in looking into it further but the Boss didn't want the de Vega to think we were openly doubting their word at that time so Hayato and I handed the chip to Shouichi and made him look into it. He studied the chip and discovered a watermark written as La Justicia Pasada. I thought about going back to Spain to investigate but… the Boss wouldn't let me leave and told me since he was safe I shouldn't worry about it anymore…"

Xanxus' brows rose at that. So Reborn wasn't kidding when he said Sawada wouldn't let her out of his sight? What a foolish brat! "So what makes you think this La Justicia Pasada is not a Mafia family?"

"Those men," she looked up at him but it was obvious it was not him she was seeing. This irritated him a bit. "When I had the chance to question them earlier they all told me what their affiliation was; and they all said the same thing. They are members of a private army called La Justicia Pasada.

"I made them show me what it was all about and it seems a very important Spanish politician has been recruiting them since three years ago," she continued. "There was no specific requirement except for the fact that they must hate the Mafia. The oldest man, the one you tried to kill first seems to have a personal grudge on you, Xanxus-sama," he furrowed his brow at that in silent question, not moving a muscle from where he was seated. "From what I have gathered, it seems his son died at your hands."

"Hey, Boss, that true?" Lussuria asked jokingly.

"Eh?" he asked in slight interest. "How the fuck should I know? I've killed too many goddamned useless dipshits to remember all of them."

"Must have been someone _weak_," Levi concluded in disgust. "The Boss doesn't need to remember weak opponents; they're a waste of his precious time."

"His hate for you must have been the reason why his resolve was so strong," Chrome continued, curiously undisturbed by their talk. "It took me longer to break him than the others. And if the people who attacked Boss back then are of the same affiliation and they are using an improved version of these chips then it is no wonder your security have overlooked their entry."

All the Varia turned to look at her again in disbelief, surprised that she was not averse to using such tactics. Finally Belphegor chuckled and walked up to her, slinging an arm around her shoulders in a parody of a friendly manner. She flinched a little but otherwise remained still. "Ushishishishishi… I think I like you, Chrome-chan~"

"Hands off, I saw her first~!" Lussuria exclaimed grabbing the slender girl by the waist and keeping her away from Bel.

The blond prince pulled out a set of knives with a grin and waved them at Lussuria. "You've got a lot of guts taking away my new toy, Peacock."

Lussuria answered with a sickeningly sweet voice. "Beat it or I'll visit you in your room later, Chuckles~"

All Chrome did was blink at the commotion.

Xanxus found her reactions… cute.

Shit.

He didn't even know he _knew_ the word.

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP AND TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HER OR I'LL CUT YOUR FUCKING EYES OUT!" Squalo yelled at them, a vein popping out of his temple. "SHE IS _NOT_ A GODDAMNED TOY!"

_Well said, Squalo; well said_. Xanxus quietly applauded his Rain Guardian before mentally shooting himself in the head.

"Spain… isn't it?" Everyone turned back towards him when he muttered the words. Their bodies all poised and expectant to hear what he had to say. He smirked slightly at the way they all perked up at him. "Book us a flight, Lussuria."

The narcissistic Sun Guardian practically glowed at the intention behind the words.

"Right away, Boss~"

"Spain, huh?" Levi held his chin thoughtfully and daydreamed. "I heard they had some of the most beautiful women out there."

"PERVERTED AFRO FREAK!" Squalo swung his sword at him angrily, clipping some of said hair off. "DON'T YOU GO LEADING WITH YOUR SHORTS AGAIN, YOU BASTARD!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Levi shouted back.

"I MEANT YOU DOING WHAT YOU DID WHEN WE DECIDED TO PITCH IN TO GIVE BELPHEGOR HIS FIRST TIME AT THE DAMN BROTHEL!" Squalo roared at him. "WHEN YOU DISAPPEARED FOR THREE DAYS IN THE DAMN PLACE!"

"Oh that," the Lightning Guardian scratched the back of his head s nonchalantly as he could. "That… couldn't be helped you know?"

"QUIT FUCKING ACTING LIKE YOU DIDN'T ENJOY IT!"

"U-um…" the slight, hesitant sound made them all turn towards a furiously brushing Chrome who had clearly heard every word they said but looked hesitant just the same. Xanxus narrowed his eyes at her, wondering why she would be so composed when talking about killing and yet flustered when talking about something as ordinary as sex. "C-can I… come to Spain as well…?"

She looked like a puppy waiting to be kicked.

Xanxus' scowl deepened a little bit more at the thought of her leaving. Something inside him was almost... dare he say afraid? That she would not come back. Of course he shouldn't care but then... Ah, of course, Reborn _did_ say she should not be harmed. At the thought his eyes zeroed in on the bruises around her neck and he was gripped by a sense of possession so strong it was hard for him not to gloat.

It would be alright to keep her here as long as he was concerned for her safety because of his deal with the Arcobaleno, right? But…

…If he prevented her from going, he would be no better than Sawada.

Clenching his fist tightly he swore he would not be so as weak as that damned _child. _This thought decided things for him. "Fine, do what you want."

He thought he saw a trace of gratefulness in her eye but she bowed slightly and too quickly for him to be absolutely sure about it. "Thank you, Xanxus-sama!"

And then she turned on her heel and left the room with a swish of her cloak to get ready for her assignment. He was left in his seat looking like someone stabbed him through the chest with the sharp end of a coat rack.

That damned smile should be illegal in 300 countries.

"Voi, Boss, I'm pretty sure what she wants to do when she's there," Squalo approached him with a thoughtful scowl. The Varia leader merely spared him a movement of the eyes, gritting his teeth and fighting for a semblance of control. The scumbitch took him over again. "Can I go with her when she starts snooping around there? I wanna look into this myself."

"Ushishishi~ I don't think it's right for you to ask for any favors since you flunked on your job to watch over security," Belphegor hopped and crouched over at Xanxus' feet. "Hey, Boss, send me; I wanna play with Chrome-chan!"

"No fair!" Lussuria stomped is foot like a five year old deprived of candy. "_I_ want to go with Chrome-chan~!"

"Shishishi... first come first serve, Narcissistic freak."

"Fine, you go," Xanxus told their youngest member ignoring Lussuria's pout and Squalo's thunderous scowl. "And if she looks like she's about to betray us, kill her on sight."

"Ushishishi... got it~!" the blond cackled as he saluted the dark skinned man and sprinted out the room.

Squalo rounded on him the moment the younger man was out the door. "Hey, aren't you being a little bit of an ass? The girl won't betray us, what could she possibly get out of that?"

"You're going too easy on her," Xanxus glared back at his second in command fiercely. "What, did you think just because she helps you out with your paperwork and saved your ass earlier that she's as innocent as a fucking lamb?"

"That's because she _is_ as innocent as a fucking lamb! She's the whole mother fucking stable, goddamnit! And just in case you forgot, _she_ saved your fucking life earlier too or did you already forget? Where the fuck is your fuck mothering pride and honor?" Squalo continued to scold him.

Xanxus remained stubbornly silent. How was he supposed to explain that he was being an asshole to Chrome Dokuro because he wanted to rip her clothes off and kiss the living daylights out of her? He knew of Squalo's talk of pride but admitting something like that would not only blow his pride apart to smithereens, it would also render his reputation in tatters. Not to mention she was off fucking limits.

Not wanting to stand the silver haired man's scrutiny any longer, Xanxus stood up and left the room without another word but not before punching Squalo in the face as he passed him by without even glancing at him.

"The FUCK, XANXUS!" Squalo roared as he held his bleeding nose.

The dark haired man didn't even turn back and Levi followed him like a faithful dog.

Something Xanxus swore the Lightning bastard would regret it later if he so much as followed him to his room today. He needed a break from them all.

Especially from a purple haired scumbitch who seemed unconsciously bound and determined to drive him crazy.

/*****/

"Your son is at it again."

Timoteo looked up from a letter from Tsunayoshi he had been reading to look at his Cloud Guardian who had just entered his office without so much as a by your leave. The old man raised a brow at his aloof friend. "Xanxus? What has he been up to this time?"

Visconti lay down an official looking document in front of the Ninth Vongola head to show a set of records of flights made by the family in the past two days using the in Mafia airline all Mafioso funded similar to the way they funded their amusement park. "He's booked a flight to Spain."

"Spain?" now both Timoteo's brows rose at this. "Was there work to be done there?"

"Perhaps," Visconti nodded at him. "But from what I can decipher, I believe he is after a group that had attacked him in the Varia headquarters a few days ago."

"Someone had managed to infiltrate the Varia?"

A solemn nod was the 9th Cloud's answer to the old man's surprised question.

"And he is planning to take revenge?" Timoteo confirmed.

"I wouldn't doubt it; it _is_ Xanxus we're talking about. He would... if he knew who it was who ordered these people, I believe he had gone to Spain with his officers to look into the matter and get rid of it."

"Without consulting Tsunayoshi?"

"You know as well as I that he does need the Decimo's consent to do as he wishes."

Timoteo sighed and folded his hands under his chin even as he closed his eyes and thought. "I just don't know what to do with that boy anymore."

"Sir," Brow Nie Jr. started, standing beside both men for a while and listening in on the conversation. "What do you wish to do now?"

The old man frowned; even after all these years he still did not know what to do about Xanxus; perhaps they should talk about this. Didn't the boy know that causing trouble in Spain would endanger relations with the other Families that had territory there? He would waste the efforts Tsunayoshi was making at forming allegiances with teh other familias living in that country.

"Fine, call him back," Timoteo finally decided. "Tell him I wish to talk to him."

Brow Nie Jr. bowed in response. "I will send Ganauche to fetch him then."

"Thank you."

"I cannot fail to notice," Bouche Croquant commented as he lounged on a sofa near them, his chin over the back of his hand. "That Xanxus has been acting more and more independently as time goes by. Usually he consults with you first before he takes action especially when it comes to skirmishes with other Families."

"I agree," Brow Nie Jr. put in with a slight nod. "Do you think he's planning something again?"

The comment from his guardians greatly troubled Timoteo. He had loved Xanxus like a son and admitted he was also at fault for raising him to believe that he could be the Vongola Decimo someday; but Xanxus was also a deeply disturbed individual and he felt it was his responsibility to watch over the young man and stop him if he strayed especially what with the world Tsunayoshi was creating for the new Mafia world.

The First Generation's will _must_ prevail.

/*****/

Belphegor watched Chrome's determined expression as he hung back, leaning against the wall of a red brick building with his hands behind his head while the female Mist Guardian silently stared into the eyes of an informant she had managed to sniff out in a way he would have to find out someday. True, it was too subtle for his tastes but it entertained him and that was what was most important.

It seemed she was finished when the informant, a Spanish bartender, fell on his knees before her and she passed a hand over his eyes making him blink several times before staring up at her in blank confusion. She ignored the man and turned to walk off out of the alley they were occupying. Belphegor followed after her, still with his silly grin.

"So? What did you do?" he asked, eager as a puppy.

She blinked as though she had not noticed he was there before now and Belphegor again wondered whether or not she was deliberately ignoring his existence. It insulted him enough to amuse him.

"I made him tell me where Shouichi is since he was being difficult," she surprised him with her blunt answer as though it were something she didn't need to hide. "I recognize him as one of the blackmarket dealers Hibari is keeping an eye on. If anyone would know anything about what is going on in our world here in Spain, it would be him."

Belphegor blinked behind his blond bangs even as contemplated at what kind of trick she was playing. Mist guardians were supposed to be secretive and deceitful as hell; full of tricks and traps and smoke and mirrors. Surely she was hiding something else? "Well I can get that part but why didn't he seem to know what was going on when you were finished with him?"

She didn't even throw him a glance and neither did she bat an eyelash. "I erased his memories completely of what just happened."

"Eh? How do you that?" he cocked his head to the side, intrigued.

"Um..." the sincere, thoughtful look on her face had his grin faltering. What kind of Mist Guardian was this? "You could say it is similar to slicing raw pizza dough. You cut up the portion you want to remove and join the remaining ends together so you wouldn't know it was missing. The part I slice off I store in my own memory."

_That_ made him stop in his tracks for a moment, his ever present grin completely vanishing at the words.

For the most part of his life in the Varia he had learned of the existence of illusionists and are familiar with the power tehy held. Some of them were ridiculously weak and a few of them were impossibly powerful. Rokudo Mukuro and Mammon were prime examples, able to create illusions that could fool even Vindice and yet he had not heard of either of them being able to erase memories. Wait, that Ninth Mist Guardian was a hypnotist... but he had not known him to be able to disrupt someone's mind like _that_.

He watched her walk away and wondered very hard if this could be the reason why Sawada was hiding her away all this time; deliberately misleading others perception of her to hide the truth of the horrible power that could attain any sort of information in anyone's mind and manipulate any event they so chose. Used in the right way, Vongola could control _nations_ with her. If she decided to rebel against the Vongola then she would be a trump card of unimaginable proportions. She may not be as powerful a battle illusionist as Rokudo Mukuro or Mammon... but her ability to subtly change an event from behind the scenes was _unheard_ of.

He started after her again, determined to keep her under his watch.

"Why are you following me?" she suddenly asked when they reached a small plaza with a beautiful fountain and a statue of some long dead Spanish politician from a long time ago.

His grin returned full force. "That way I can kill you the moment you try to betray us."

He had expected her to at least flinch; at the most gape at him and cry out in outrage. But she had merely blinked that wide purple eye of her and then walked again. "Oh."

_Pretending to be tough, huh?_ he grinned and followed her. "What? You're scared, aren't you? So I suggest you be good and behave yourself if you don't want to become my new practice dummy."

"Humm." she merely hummed carelessly.

This made Belphegor's royal brows furrow in irritation. "You can stop pretending you don't care; The Prince does not appreciate it."

She blinked and turned towards him again, her eye full of innocence and naked surprise. "I'm sorry."

This was starting to irritate the hell out of the blond assassin and he stopped and scowled at her. "What the hell...? Aren't you afraid of anything?"

She stopped and looked back at him before answering in seeming honesty. "I'm afraid of a lot of things... It's just that I'm not afraid of dying."

He gaped at her incredulously, his wide, maniacal grin disappearing completely from his face. "How can you say that?"

She seemed to think for a while before shrugging and answering again. "Because I have nothing to live for."

"Shishishishishi..." he caught her in her lie; how sweet. "That's stupid, _everybody_ has something to live for."

"That's true," she answered him with a smile so sad he had to stop and stare at her again. "But what is the point of living for something you can never have?"

She then turned back and kept on walking leaving him standing there in a gape.

Fuck, could it be that this woman was a lot more messed up than he was?

"Belphegor," her soft voice called to him but when he looked up she wasn't there and was instead standing in front of the a food cart in the shady side of the plaza. "Are you hungry?"

'Are you talking in my _head_?' he angrily sent an irritated prompt at her.

"I'm sorry; I'm not reading your mind, though, I promise." she sounded sincere even in his head.

_Fuck_, he thought even as he made his way towards her, scowling.

Upon reaching her, she handed him some sort of... food. "What's that?"

"It's called an empanada," she answered, answering through her mouth now. "You should eat; if you're going to follow me around all day then it will take me a while to get all the information I need."

"Why?"

"Because Shouichi's been kidnapped a day after he arrived in Spain," she told him matter of factly. "And I need to find him before my Boss gets involved."

Belphegor studied the unsavory looking concoction with a frown. "You expect a prince to eat such disgusting peasant food?"

She merely shrugged at his complaint. "Well surely Your Royal Highness has enough grace and courage to try new things."

He scowled back at her; how dare she remind him of his duties. He was about to open his mouth to launch into a tirade when the smell of meat and spices reached his nostrils and his stomach growled in response. Come to think of it, he had not had anything to eat since last night when they left Italy.

Scowling, he swiped the food from the woman's hand and shot her a glare. "If The Prince gets a tummy ache, I will rip you open in your sleep."

He took one more suspicious look at the empanada before taking a tentative bite. As soon as he did, his eyes behind his bangs widened in surprise.

"It's meat pie made by various spices," she told him as she took a bite of her own empanada. "I had it when I last visited here. It's pretty good, isn't it?"

But Belphegor was already gobbling up his share and asked the food vendor for another one. "I suppose; but then again hunger is better than any French chef."

She merely smiled and paid for their food before walking away with him following and carrying five more of the pies with him. As he watched her walking gracefully in the sunny, merry streets of the foreign country he had to wonder about her. One moment she would be acting aloof and sad and the other so warm and innocent. She was so many things at the same time and the changes were so subtle it took all his attention to identify them. As an assassin for Varia he had not really given any thought to the expressions and human emotions of others, he really had no use for them at all. But this woman seemed to contain a little bit of everything all at the same time. She was even more headache inducing than Squalo.

What kind of Mist Guardian was she? He didn't really understand anymore. He didn't know what to believe when she opened her mouth. At that point Belphegor discovered she was a different kind of danger. She was much more dangerous and untrustworthy than any Mist Guardian he had known because he couldn't understand her. Her actions were not something a Mist Guardian should have.

Prince the Ripper grinned and his eyes sparkled behind his bangs at the thought. Unlike Squalo he adored puzzles and this woman just presented him the perfect one. He would be entertained by her for a very long time...

/*****/

**A.N**.: Please Review...?


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

For a **Night Blooming Jasmine** picture just follow this link: **http : / / en . wikipedia . org / wiki / File : Dama_de_noche. jpg**

**deadly-chronicles**: Lol, really? Goodness you got it wrong; it's the PAIRING that's addicting hehehe; thanks so much; I'm so happy you thought it was readable.

**WeAreMadland**: YOU'RE ALIVE! (glomp) I thought I lost you! I'm so sorry about your internet but don't worry, it'll get better ^_^ And I'm just writing Chrome based on a subtler more mature personality she has from when she was a kid and how she could be as a woman. Thanks, I am so happy you like my Chrome! And SHUSH, dammit; wait and see and I'll be doing something about that 'big fight'!

It's so nice to hear from you again! Thanks for leaving me a review!

**DannyTF94**: Hohohoho~ then might I suggest you read the Current Notice note on my profile, my dear? And yes, this is exactly how I think she would be if she were shown in TYL hehe; although I may be exaggerating her a bit. Thanks so much for the review; looking forward to what you think of this one too!

**GoddessOfTheRain**: Wow… a new reviewer and such a great review! Thanks so much! Yeah, I like crack pairings and I love Chrome. In fact, there aren't a lot of pairings about her I don't support. She's like MY DARLING in KHR! Hehe; Ara? My writing is beautiful? (blush) thanks! And yes, this plot has been stewing in my head for the longest time so I just had to write it before I go crazy; I am so happy you like it and that you gave this story a chance ^_^

**darklove06**: Thank you so much and you're welcome!

**Special thanks** to **killer0meganekko, Aleksandra** and **39Raindrops** for adding this story to your Favorites; I am _most_ honored! Especially you **killer0meganekko** for 'you know what'! (wink wink)

**A.N.**: As a special THANK YOU TO **deadly-chronicles, WeAreMadland** and **DannyTF94** I am making this chapter extra long. I hope it satisfies. ~_^v

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Chapter 5**

"…Dokuro?"

Xanxus whirled around, stopping in the middle of taking off his dress shirt to change into something more comfortable when he smelled her. But how in the world did she get inside his hotel room without him noticing? Was she peeking at him while he was changing?

Somehow the thought did not offend him. Not at all.

However he saw no one; he was alone just as he wanted and since no one was disturbing him yet, he knew for a fact that Belphegor and that woman were still out on reconnaissance around the city. Night had already fallen and he was willing himself not to think too much about it. Then why the hell was he smelling Dokuro near him? Had his mind become so addled that he was finally losing it?

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and he scowled in its direction.

"What is it?" his deep, stern baritone rang through the room.

"Housekeeping, Boss; just putting in some welcoming gifts from the staff." Levi's voice came from the other side of the door.

Irritated at being disturbed, he huffed and proceeded to take off his shirt revealing the mass of almost fading scars on his torso. "Fine; come in, leave it and go."

The door was pushed open by the Varia Lightning Guardian. He had in his arms a large basket of the best local wine from a well known vineyard he recognized and an assorted amount of sweets and pastries; he was also carrying a vase filled to the brim with strange looking flowers. Xanxus frowned at this for a moment before he realized Dokuro's scent was coming from them.

"Scum," the Varia boss stepped closer all of a sudden. "What are those flowers?"

"Eh?" Levi seemed surprised by his interest but blushed girlishly in pleasure at the chance to be of use to Xanxus. "Ah! They came with the package; some bum saying they were for _that_ woman."

To Dokuro?

Xanxus stepped closer, confident that nothing could harm him since he was pretty sure Squalo had already gone through the stuff with a fine tooth comb and inspected the star shaped white flowers in full bloom. This close the scent was too overpowering; he tried to stop thinking how the scent was much nicer when it was more subdued with warm blood running beneath it the way Dokuro wore it. "What kind of flowers are these?"

"Eh?" Levi cocked his head to the side at his boss in confusion before continuing. "Boss, have you never seen a Night Blooming Jasmine before?"

He flashed his Lightning Guardian a crimson glare. "Do I _look_ like a fucking _florist_ to you, asshole?"

Levi froze like a deer caught in headlights and backed away a step from his boss. "N-no, Xanxus-sama, of course I didn't mean that!"

"Then _answer_ my motherfucking _question_." He growled.

"_Ulp_! I apologize, Boss!" Levi bowed low to him before he started explaining. "It's a flower that only blooms during the night! It is also called The Lady of the Night in some countries because of this characteristic and has been claimed to be beautiful, fragrant but poisonous!"

_Hmph_. That sounded like her to a tee.

"Personally, I think they are lewd plants; some countries even treat them like pests," Levi continued with a self righteous nod but with a blush on his face. "What 'lady' would only show herself during the night?"

_What lady indeed_, Xanxus thought still staring at the flowers. Wait a minute. "Hey, you said they came from someone? Who?"

Levi shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't know; I knew it was one of the staff by their uniform, though."

"MORON!"

"We're baaack~!"

Both of them turned towards Xanxus' open door and from there saw Belphegor and Chrome's arrival. The blond assassin pounced on some chocolate churros the moment he saw the welcoming basket in the common room and even handed one over to Chrome who nibbled at it eagerly without batting an eyelash. The interaction made Xanxus raise an eyebrow at them.

"Chroooome-chaaan~ I missed you!" Lussuria practically _flitted_ towards the female Mist Guardian and was about to hug her but was stopped by Bel's foot in his face. "Gupya?"

"Back off, Perverted Peacock," the blond grinned sadistically at the other assassin. "No touchie."

Lussuria swatted Bel's foot off his face angrily. "Impertinent rat! How dare you! My face! I'll KILL you!"

"Voi! Well don't just stand there nibbling like mice; what the hell did you find out!" Squalo called at them from his seat, cleaning his Spartha.

"My new favorite food is empanada." Bel answered with a grin around a mouthful of churros.

Squalo threw a porcelain vase at his head which the blond ripper dodged easily enough. "VOI! Stop fucking around!"

"Oi, woman!" Levi stepped out of Xanxus' room and addressed Chrome. "Come here, someone sent you something."

Xanxus watched her blink in confusion at Levi before finishing up her snack and walking over towards his room. It was obvious she wasn't really expecting him to be there since, upon standing on his threshold and seeing him almost half undressed; her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Um…" she looked away, fiddling with her hands in embarrassment. "I-I'll come back later when you're finished…"

Xanxus blinked before realization sank in and he ended up smirking at her reaction. Clearly, unlike most women, she was not disgusted with the scars that littered his body. "I don't like being disturbed when I'm sleeping, woman; so get this damned thing out of my room before I burn it."

She swallowed hard before seemingly gathering her courage. Then she nodded to him once in thanks before walking into his room, his garnet eyes following her every move. He couldn't help but admire the way she looked in a simple white shirt, a pair of faded blue jeans and boots similar to those she had worn during her middle school years. He was displeased to note, though, that she had hidden away her bruises with a light, plaid printed beige scarf wrapped around her neck. For some reason, he _wanted_ her to display them for all the world to see.

The moment she saw the flowers, something sparked in her eye and her steps became more rapid. He watched her inspect the flowers before pulling out one of the blooms that had a very thin sheet of paper rolled and tied to the stem.

This perked up the Varia Boss' interest further.

Chrome read through the letter, her face now normal and in the aloof expression he had come to associate with her when she was all business. There was a moment when she blushed a little before she then turned and walked towards him and gave him the missive to read. It surprised Xanxus that she was giving him his due respect as boss by entrusting him with such information. Anyone else from the Vongola Decimo's camp would have held so much mistrust for him that they would not have bothered to involve him with such things, tried to settle things themselves and end up being saved by his Varia.

His eyes scanned the letter.

_Mi bella Señorita Chrome,_

_ I was overjoyed by your message and immediately moved my Intelligence network in order to cater to your request; here are the details that you have asked for including the time that would give you the most advantage. I know such a mission will be too easy for you._

_La Torre De Caballeros_

_854-xxx-xxxx_

_10PM-1AM_

_You are looking for a man named Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad who owns this exclusive gentleman's club. Right now he is a part of the Congreso de los Diputados and has been in office for two terms. He has an aristocratic background and well respected by the Legislative Branch. Be careful, though and think upon your actions before you act for he is a very powerful man. It is rumored he is being eyed on by the current Consejo de Ministros as the next Prime Minister. He is not a man you should toy with._

_I wish you luck and safety, mi hermosa dama de noche. As these flowers signify, my love will always be waiting for you._

_P.S._

_If you still have time then why not join me for dinner afterwards? It is so rare to catch you without Señor Tsunayoshi that I have begun to despair my chances with you. If you will send to me the name of the hotel you are staying at I can send someone to take you to the palazzio. I would very much like it if we were to talk privately for once._

_ Con Toda Mi Pasion,_

_ Fernando Jose Marciano de Vega_

Xanxus sneered at the latter contents of the letter. Was the bastard trying to get under Dokuro's skirt right in the middle of a mission message? Disgusting. Not to mention disturbing for him that he was more than personally annoyed at the thought of this wimpy sounding dandy sharing a private moment with the woman.

"What do you have there, Chrome-chan~?" Belphegor strutted in, still in his civilian get up of a white sleeveless shirt, baggy black pants, suspenders and his Varia boots.

The woman merely turned towards the blond Varia officer casually before answering. "A response to my request."

"Eh? To that sissy sounding guy you were talking about? Well that was quick," Xanxus scowled and glared at his subordinate. Just when did she start 'talking about' things with _Belphegor_? "Well he might sound like an idiot but he sure works fast, don't he?"

"Oh~" Lussuria twittered behind him with a blush on his cheeks and Xanxus got the feeling he was batting his lashes behind his sunglasses as well; apparently the idiot had forgotten all about Belphegor putting his foot on his ugly face a moment ago in favor of this news. "So Chrome-chan has an admirer? How sweet!"

"The de Vega Family is among the most prominent Spanish Familias allied to the Vongola," she frowned a little and Xanxus watched her, looking for a clue as to what her opinion to this was but it seemed she had politely sidestepped the brewing gossip from growing any further. "Although the Boss does not trust them overly much, they were the ones who approached the Vongola for an alliance so we could not refuse them. So far they have been beyond reproach in the 10th generation's eyes."

"Really now?" Squalo asked, leaning against the threshold of Xanxus' open doorway with a scowl. "You don't seem too happy with that, though."

She looked a bit taken aback, as though she was not used to being pressed for her opinion before she managed to look sheepish and answered. "Hibari-san and I are of the same opinion and he is currently keeping an eye on them."

"You don't trust them?" Levi asked with a clueless face. "Then why bother signing an alliance with them?"

"Ushishishishi… and that, Levi, is the reason why you are _not_ the Boss of a Family."

Lussuria snickered with Belphegor even as the older man glared at them both.

"We're leaving for Seville tonight," Xanxus decided, cutting the argument short. "We're finishing this off as soon as possible."

"Of course, Boss!"

"Sure~"

"Awww… and I thought we'd stay behind for the bull fights!"

"Voi, shut up, brat!"

"As you wish, Xanxus-sama."

Xanxus' eyes shot back to her at the sound of his name from her lips but she was already turning away from him and heading for the common room where Lussuria was eagerly waiting to tell her which one in the multiple suite hotel room they got was hers. Levi shut the doors for him and he scowled before looking back at the flowers she had left behind.

Yes… he definitely liked the subtle scent on Dokuro's skin better.

/*****/

Chrome couldn't explain it too well but she had been trained and experienced enough to know that the knot currently sitting in her stomach did not mean anything good. It felt like she was walking into a trap.

She looked towards where Xanxus was, standing a little ahead of Squalo and glaring at the large mansion rich and rife with Spanish architecture and wondered if he felt the same and but just didn't care. Somehow that would not have surprised her.

_Shouichi is in there_, she reminded herself to give herself some resolve. _I need to save him before the Boss gets worried._

"Let's move out." Xanxus grunted and in a flash of movement, the members of his family had disappeared and were headed towards the castle, ready to infiltrate it. Xanxus followed in a much slower pace.

Chrome stayed behind only long enough to cast a camaflouge spell over all the Varia to help them sneak into the room without getting noticed right off. She seemed to have done something good because Xanxus glanced at her with a scowl and nothing more and the fact that it had brevity unlike the ones she had seen him make in the short time she had been living with the Varia, Chrome could safely assume that she had done something that pleased him.

She followed his larger frame while stretching out her senses for any sort of clue as to where Shouchi was. Belphegor and the others were happily slicing through any random guard that just so happened to cross their paths. Silent as wraiths as they wreaked their havoc Chrome could understand why they were so highly in demand by the 9th generation. Even the usually noisy Squalo blended in the darkness as though he were born from it. They cleared the path; running from one corner to another as though making sure Xanxus would encounter no obstacles as he casually walked into the mansion like he owned the place.

It would be horrifying indeed… if it were anyone but Chrome Dokuro watching. Her respect for them grew.

They walked until they reached a huge main hall where a grand staircase led up towards the second floor. The wall it faced had a large emblem of a shield on a circular background; an image of a set of weighing scales was embossed on its surface. A cross of two Spanish swords at the bottom of the scales shone clearly like a finishing touch. Underneath all that was a scroll and Chrome's single eye widened a little at the words on it…

De La Justicia Deuda De Largo…

"Looks like we hit paydirt." Levi commented as he stared up at the emblem as well.

"Sheesh, the decorating here is _awful_! I hope I get to kill the person responsible for it." Lussuria sniffed delicately.

"Ushishishishi…"

"I don't like this," Squalo rumbled suspiciously, his sharp, silvery blue eyes darting and seemingly glowing in the darkness around them. "Why aren't there a lot of guards?"

"Why do you think, scum?" Xanxus asked calmly, cocking his X-Guns into place.

Chrome realized he knew and instantly prepared her barriers earning her another look from the Varia Boss even as she spoke quietly. "We've already stepped into their trap."

"Bravo, señorita, how very perceptive of you…" the resounding sounds of clapping echoed in the entire great hall and all the Varia vigilantly skimmed the darkness with their eyes to find the source.

They were not to wait long since, after a moment, the hall was filled with light and they found themselves surrounded by at least a hundred or more fully armed men wearing the same suits worn by the people who attacked them at the headquarters.

Chrome gripped her trident a little bit tightly, analyzing the situation mentally and checking for any openings among the entire army that had all their guns trained at _them_ who were in the middle of the hall that now seemed like an execution ground. Her senses continued to look for Shouichi and the appearance of this man who seemed bathed in her bespectacled friend's presence was proof he was nearby. She just needed enough time to locate the inventor.

"Ah, you must be Señor Xanxus," the man who was clapping now walked around the second floor until he was standing right in front of the emblem they were staring at earlier. He was a man in his mid thirties and good looking enough to be pleasing. His bronze head of hair and desert brown eyes on tanned skin made his Moorish origins very clear despite his Spanish heritage. "Welcome… to your Hell."

"Hey, fuck bastard," Squalo called out with ironic calm, not moving a muscle not connected to his mouth. "So you were the dipshit who snuck in those asswipes and tried to attack us?"

The man sneered at the shark. "Such an ill bred dog."

"He's a shark," Chrome suddenly corrected quietly; this was the opportunity she was looking for. Everyone's eyes turned to her; even Xanxus was looking at her out from the corner of his eye. She had to make this quick before he went into a rampage. "Are you the owner of this place? Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad?"

"Ah? I never realized the Varia kept such a lovely pet," he smirked at her and eyed her from foot to head and back again, obviously pleased with how she was filling her Varia uniform. Chrome wished she had her cloak covering her but she needed both her hands on her trident at the moment. Besides she should be used to it by now. "Señorita, you shouldn't stand there with the garbage; you should come over this side with me."

She ignored his invitation. "Why do this? Why Xanxus? What do you have against the Vongola?"

"Ah, she has fire despite her delicate looks," Cornelio chuckled before sitting down on the top of the stairs and stared at her. "I like that."

Chrome aimed the sharp end of her trident at him in a silent demand; she heard guns cocking all around them but ignored all this. She knew, without having to be told that the Varia can handle that. But Cornelio raised a hand to keep the soldiers from shooting.

"Answer me." She demanded, her voice never rising nor falling.

Merely retaining the gentle cadence of down thistle falling into a hand, as though she were not threatening him with an execution.

_Being a woman is a weakness, especially with your kind of circumstance…_; Chrome could hear Lal speaking in her head from a memory all those years ago. _You need to take advantage because men are weak that way too…_

The man laughed again. "You truly are an interesting niña; I don't see why—"

He was cut off as soon as Chrome caught his eye and started ravaging his mind.

He was defenseless against her. Now that she had found the opening she needed she started to sift through his memories for Shouichi's location and she found it easily; however, what horrified her was the content on the forefront of his mind and the reason why he hated the Mafia so much he was willing to start a war because of it.

The man was nuttier than Belphegor on happy pills!

As soon as she got all the information she needed, she withdrew from his mind and left him almost falling off the stairs grasping his left temple as though it were breaking. And through the gaps in his fingers he glared at her with so much hatred she thought she would have been crushed and petrified if he had had Sky flames.

"Kill… them… ALLLLLLL!" Cornelio yelled.

"Vongola Gear version X!" Chrome chanted and a burst of indigo flame later, a spiky earring hung on her ear. "Cambio Forma version X! Gufo di Nebbia!"

"SHOOOOOT THEM ALLLLLLL LIKE THE PIGS THEY ARE!" Cornelio screamed as he was being taken away to a safe place by a pair of his soldiers; the rage on his face was something that sent shivers down Chrome's spine.

The soldiers around them, momentarily stupefied by Chrome's show of power, seemed to have awakened at the shrieking of their master and proceeded to shoot at the Varia in unison.

But Chrome was quicker.

"Cortina Nebbia!"

The mist barrier shielded them from the deluge and there were so many bullets they were obscured by the thick smoke made up of gunpowder and broken down cement and pretty soon, they were all rendered invisible to the eye.

She took this as a chance to turn towards her companions. "I need to go ahead and rescue Shouichi; will you guys be alright here?"

"Woman," Levi took one of his parabolas off his back and sneered at her. "Who do you think we are?"

"Ushishishi… such fun!" Bel snickered.

"Hurry back, though~" Lussuria winked at her even as he punched his palm with a fist. "Or there won't be any left for you."

"Do what you want to do, Dokuro," Squalo told her gruffly as he started to position himself to offensive. "We've got a score to settle with these dipshits."

Chrome couldn't help smiling up at the silver haired man before she shot a slightly anxious look at Xanxus who was scowling out towards the smoke that was starting to recede around them. Politeness made her bow her head to Xanxus formally. "By your leave, Xanxus-sama."

The dark skinned Varia boss merely grunted cocking both his X-Guns, crossing them over his chest… and yelling murder at the top of his lungs as he burst out through the smoke and started firing. It looked as though the place was being attacked by cannonballs rather than a pair of guns. Taking this as a sign, the other members of the Varia followed suit and soon the cries of battle and death rent the air in an explosive fight. She released the barrier just in time to let them through.

As Chrome watched for a little bit, she could not help but eye Xanxus' form in the fight. Framed in the flames of his Wrath he looked like a demon of lore in a battle in Hell. His pyrope eyes glowed with an unholy enjoyment as he rendered people lifeless and Chrome knew, from what she had observed of the man these past few days that he didn't care what they were fighting for; whether it was right or wrong. They were just unlucky enough to cross _his_ path and _his_ side of the mountain.

For some reason, his bloodthirsty passion induced her heart to beat a little faster until she could feel herself forgetting how to breathe. Even though a little misguided, she could not help but find it fascinating to find a man of such firm resolve that he cared little to nothing for the opinion of others. Only that he was fighting for himself.

It was hard to turn away but she did; because, although she did not understand this feeling, Chrome knew pursuing it would be dangerous. Even now she could not understand the reason for the heating of her blood at the sight of him. She had only been this fascinated by the sight of a man in battle once before and that had led to nothing but the scars and a bittersweet pain of knowing she would do anything for him if he just asked… She could not afford to be so blind again. One big foolishness per lifetime should be enough and she had already committed two.

Leaving the site she went on in search of Shouichi.

/*****/

Irie Shouichi was not expecting an instantaneous rescue.

In fact, since no one knew he was in Spain except for Spanner, he really didn't count on seeing anybody from the Vongola for quite some time. So when the scent of night jasmines filled the air around him and a gentle wave of indigo mist formed itself in front of his chained body, he really couldn't believe his eyes.

And the sight of a violet eye so tender and warm had him breathing out a hope against hope. "Chrome…?"

Her smile was so like her. Kind and gentle.

"Oh Kami please tell me I'm not dreaming…" he whispered as he stared at her.

Chrome merely smiled at him and used her trident to break him free of his chains. As soon as he was free, he fell into her arms like a fallen tree. Concerned, Chrome looked him over. "Are you alright? What did he do to you?"

"We need… to get out of here…" he groaned, obviously in pain. "It's a trap… to lure Varia!"

"I know," she smiled at him faintly, soothing him just with the quiet tone of her voice. "Can't you hear Squalo downstairs yelling like there's no tomorrow?"

As if on cue, another large explosion echoed in the mansion along with a loud laughing yell that suspiciously sounded like 'VOI!'

"Come on, we need to get out of here—"

"I don't think so, señorita."

He felt her freeze and so did he. Looking up he saw the man who had imprisoned him here giving them an ugly grin and aiming a semi automatic Beretta at his head. Behind him were five soldiers with their specialized guns and their sights set on both him and Chrome and Shouichi felt like a deer trapped in headlights.

"…Chrome—"

"Hush…"

"You truly are a beauty," the man breathed, his handsome features twisting into something ugly and corrupted. "So you are what they call an illusionist, aren't you?"

"You need to stop this," he heard Chrome tell him quietly. "You've already lost; you're army wiped out, your mansion burned to the ground. Even now, surely you can smell the scent of burning bodies from where you're standing… If you stop this madness now then the Vongola Decimo may yet excuse you for harming one of his precious Family."

Shouchi looked up and blinked at her. It wasn't like it was the first time he'd heard or saw her act this way but it still never ceased to amaze him when she did. She was so strong, so steady… even though she still looked so fragile.

"PFWUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Cornelio looked like he was about to collapse laughing. "Family? What do you Mafia pigs know about _Family_?"

Shouichi knew that had he been with Gokudera or Ryohei, there would have been blood on the floor by now so he was grateful he was with Chrome.

Wheezing to a stop, the Spanish politician steadied the gun towards them and smirked. "Enough of this. We may have some use for you, bellamia as I find you and your abilities extremely fascinating, as we have use for Señor Irie as well."

"Xanxus will be looking for you," she kept on warning the man with a straight face. "Do you really think he would let you leave this place alive?"

He chuckled at that. "Change of plans, my dear because I just called the police and the army. I will render the Varia helpless by killing off that sacrilegious flame they use in battle with the Flame Dowser and kill them. As soon as the Prime Minister sees the Varia and learns that they have attempted to kill me for _no reason_— a high ranking government official of this country— then the Spanish government will have no other choice but to listen to me and declare an all out war against the Mafia!"

Shouichi stiffened at that.

Fighting against a country's military power… What was this man _thinking_?

"Once those corrupt government officials see that not even their positions can save them from those beasts then they will become strong enough not to continue accepting bribes from you scum and render all of you helpless and hunted!" Cornelio continued. "I will erase the Mafia from the world!"

"That will not happen."

The resolve in her voice and the flames that rose from the entire room made Shouichi glance at the female Mist guardian again. The scattered mounds of mist formed into pointed daggers which immediately disarmed and stabbed through their enemies' hands.

"OW! MIERDA!" Cornelius screamed as he held his now bleeding hand.

It was unfortunate that one of his subordinates had managed to shield his vital points and saved his life.

Shouichi then felt himself gliding suddenly and then the sound of glass breaking filled his ears. Before he knew what was happening, he and Chrome were already flying out the window.

"NO!" he saw Cornelio lean out of the window screaming his rage.

For a moment Shouichi thought he was going to die; and then Chrome's flames rose again as she called her box animal to herself. "Mukurou!"

The armored white Mist owl shot out of the box and stopped their fall by grabbing onto her cloak.

"GET THEM! CAPTURE THEM! I WANT THEM BOTH _ALIVE_!" he heard Cornelio screaming as they both flew away.

"This is bad," he heard her whisper and the red head looked up at her. "Shouichi-kun, will it be okay if I fetched them before we leave?"

"EH?"

Without waiting for his response, Mukurou responded to her mental prodding and went back to the mansion just as the roof was literally blown off by a burst of flames.

All Shouchi could do was blink. "Xanxus?"

"Do you know anybody else who'd do something like that?" she asked wryly.

"…Hayato?"

She seemed to startle at that before chuckling quietly. "…Point taken."

The owl landed them on the remains of the roof and both of them leaned forward to see that Varia was indeed still in the thick of battle. But something was different this time as the red headed genius noted the extinguishers mounted onto the backs of some of the soldiers joining in the fight.

"Chrome, that's—"

"I know." she breathed.

They both knew it was too late to do anything to stop the men and saw them mercilessly dowse the Varia; especially Xanxus with a sticky substance similar to shaving cream. And his flames were put out like a fire that met water.

"DamN YOUUUU!"

Squalo and the others had to stop and stare in shock at this; dowsing Dying Will Flames was unheard of but to stop Xanxus' Flame of Wrath was an act of God!

"I'LL KILL YOU _ALL_!"

"What'll we do?" Shouichi asked, on his hands and knees, still not regaining enough strength to walk.

The soldiers were closing in on the Varia below and just as Chrome was lifting her hand to do something, a cluster of metal discs flew out from above and spread across the entire hall around the Varia. And then, even as they watched, a man in a dark suit and double colored hair dropped from the sky, his left fist punching the ground.

"Elettrico Mina Terrestre!" he shouted.

The metal discs exploded with lightning flames stunning the remains of the soldiers about to finish off Xanxus and the others.

"VOI! WHAT THE FUCK ARE _YOU_ DOING HERE?" Squalo greeted the new comer.

"It's good to see you too, Squalo and yes, you're welcome." The man answered with a roll of his eyes.

"DON'T YOU GO COCKY ON ME, OLD MAN—"

"Anyway, I think there are a lot more important things we should do right now?" the older man cut him off. "Like getting out of here or something?"

Taking this as her cue, Chrome placed another ring on her finger and surrounded Mukuro with deep purple flames this time. After a moment, the owl multiplied and swooped down, carrying the surprised man and the Varia to the sky and faced her.

"Ushishishishi~ Hello, Chrome-chan!" Belphegor waved at the Vongola Mist guardian. "Long time no see!"

"Dokuro," Xanxus growled, his veins on his temple practically standing out in his fury. "If you don't let me down there to finish this off in five seconds I'll—"

"I'm sorry, but that is an order I cannot follow," Shouichi blinked at her and wondered how she can talk like that to _Xanxus_ of all people. "This is a political trap set up against you and the Vongola. If you get caught here then it will be the end of us all."

These words seemed to have gained the Varia Boss' interest and Shouichi now regarded Chrome with a whole new level of awe.

"Hey, aren't you the 10th Generation's Mist Guardian?" the older man who had just come to save the Varia asked her, eyeing her with interest. "Whatever, I'll take explanations later, for now, Xanxus, the 9th wants you back in Italy. So, Sigñorina Dokuro, will you please fly us towards that direction where a Chinook is waiting for us?"

Chrome merely nodded and picked Shouichi back up from the ground and commanded the Mist owls to head towards the direction the older man indicated.

"What the heck…" the older man said. "These are Cloud flames! Are you the one doing this?"

"Yes." Chrome replied quietly and showed him a Cloud ring.

The older man whistled at the sight and smirked at her. "I thought Hibari was the only one who can use both Cloud and Mist Flames among the Vongola Guardians."

Chrome did not seem to take offense at this and merely increased their speed when they saw the Chinook in flight waiting for them. "Who did you think taught him how to use Mist flames?"

Everybody fell in silence at that and merely gaped at her.

One by one they were boarded into the Chinook and Shouichi was so weak he could hardly stay awake. Words could not explain how grateful he was when Chrome set his head on her lap as a pillow unknowingly earning him a lot of murderous glares.

"Are you alright?" she asked him gently, her voice serene and mild like a mother talking to a child.

"Yeah… Did you see him, Chrome?" he asked in a faint whisper but she saw the stark fear in his eyes. "Oh Kami, Chrome, it's horrible; he's transfixed with Xanxus. He'll destroy the Vongola to get to him!"

"I know," she replied and ran a hand through his red hair to soothe him. "It's going to be alright now so please sleep; I'll be here when you wake up."

He had no choice but to obey and as he drifted off, all he felt was the gentle brushing of her hand in his hair and hear Xanxus turning towards someone and angrily growling like a rabid dog.

"What are you doing here, Ganauche?"

/*****/

Please Review…?


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie Book1: ...Xanxus  
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**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**deadly-chronicles**: Sorry to interrupt your studies ehehehe; Wow, I didn't think that little tidbit about her teaching Hibari Mist flames would gather so much attention o_O; I mean, during TYL when Hibari started using Mist flames on top of Cloud Flames I thought _someone_ must have shown him how to do it, right? And since he would sooner KILL Mukurou than let him be taught by his epic rival and Mammon would hardly agree since he'd be dead by then, I think Chrome would be the BEST candidate. (sigh) Me and my wishful thinking...

**DannyTF94**: You were the ONLY one to notice that little piece of significance; you've got one sharp eye; yeah I decided if Mukuro had his lotuses to represent his power and Mammon had his tentacles then Chrome should have one too! Aww, I'm glad you were happy about the extra long chapter and I hope you liked this one too even though there's not much action in it.

Lol, yeah, you guessed it; wait till you see what I have planned for that in this story ^_~

LOL won't spoil, sorry!

**WeAreMadland**: YOU! PM ME RIGHT NOW!

**phppsmss**: Thanks; like I told killer0meganekko, crack is like spices to me; I LOVE it better than any canon pairing. Oh, about that (~evil smirk~) pls stay tuned kufufufufu….

**Special Thanks**: OMG killer0meganekko drew FANART for this story! Guys check it out here : ** killeromeganekko. deviantart art / Bruises-of-Possession- 267353926?q =gallery % 3A killeromeganekko &qo =0**

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE EXTREEEEEMMEEEEEE!

**A.N.**: It's so nice to hear from you guys! Thanks for leaving me a review! I hope this chapter does not disappoint and I hope you guys share with me your opinions again. ^_^v

Please Enjoy! ~_^v

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Chapter 6**

"My dear countrymen as you know; I am a man of peace and a great believer in justice…"

Cornelio looked at his entranced audience, pleased that, although most of the politicians were looking at him askance, the people who mattered— the media— had their wide, innocent and gullible eyes on him and him alone.

"Despite my noble upbringing I have a special place in my heart for the poor and the helpless and especially people who have been victims of crimes and have never had the chance to know justice. Which is why I have always spoken out loudly and boldly against organized crime!" he passionately banged at the podium he was standing on as he delivered his speech with the practiced ease of a person who had done so a million times over in his life. "The corruption that is the _Mafia_! The unforgivable darkness that envelopes the beautiful side of justice and the real government and has ruled over our slums and abused our poor!

"I am afraid that because of this principle I have been targeted by these heathens and has burned down my property with the sole purpose of eliminating me and silencing me to prevent the people's justice to come forth and revive itself! It was only sheer luck that my faithful friends and bodyguards have managed to protect me from these people," he lowered his voice and his face in a gesture of regret, conveying his mourning of the guards who had apparently died for him before raising his eyes to the crowd again, blazing fierce in the artificial light of the large congress. "I swear on my honor that I will _not_ let their sacrifices be in vain! I shall seek justice to be served for them and for that I call upon our government and the government of Italy to hand over the criminal group known as the Varia!

"No more shall we stand afraid of their shadows! As long as we have each other and our unity we shall _prevail_!"

He was given a standing ovation by the non political part of the large audience. Cornelio stepped down of the podium and hid a smirk when he saw how pale and nervous some of the politicians around him became.

Yes, he knew some of them had relations with the Mafia and they all have the right to be nervous. He may have failed to capture Varia but who was to say he couldn't pressure the Consejo to act against the violence done to him by using the media?

The Spanish politician smirked as he exited the hall of congress. Soon his plans will come to fruition and after he got his hands on Varia then he will take with him that woman of theirs.

He had special plans for that particular female who had the ability to control minds…

/*****/

Xanxus scowled as he entered the spacious room with a long table that had enough seats to fit the old man, his guardians and the Varia. At the moment, Timoteo was watching the international news and the now familiar and hated face of Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad passionately and angrily speaking on a podium in front of a circle of other Spanish politicians was being shown in full color. He was speaking in fluent Spanish but an interpreter was translating every word he said in Italian. He was currently openly accusing the Mafia of attacking him and his mansion with no other reason but to threaten him because of his open opposition for the criminal organizations. The Varia boss couldn't help but smirk when the stupid politicians quaked and paled when the idiot described his Varia. Curiously, though, he had made no mention of Chrome or Irie.

And then Trinidad started calling for the Italian government, demanding they hand over Xanxus since he had openly attacked a political official from another country and the call he was pushing towards the media to not be afraid and stand up to the mafia was met by the ignorant whelps who gave the bastard a standing ovation.

It almost made him laugh.

The program was cut off in the middle of the standing ovation when one of Belphegor's knives made contact with the screen. The 9th Generation Guardians were immediately around Timoteo protectively.

"Ushishishi~ Die, bastard." The blond assassin said, still not lowering his arm.

"Belphegor!" Coyote Nougat shot at the younger man coldly. "How many times do I have to tell you not to pull out your knives in the presence of the 9th?"

"Tch; what's the matter? It's not like I was _aiming_ for the old geezer." the blond huffed rebelliously, crossing his arms behind his head and looking away.

"Well, I brought them," Ganauche winced as Coyote's glare turned to him. "And I guess you already have a general idea about what happened back in Spain."

"News travels fast," Visconti raised a dry brow at Xanxus even as he placed a ream of official looking documents on the table in front of the 9th. "Especially when it comes to international incidents."

Schnitten Brabanters, his left hand in his pocket, looked at the Varia from the corner of his eye but said nothing and merely observed.

"Well?" Brow Nie Jr. frowned at the Varia making Xanxus want to roll his eyes at him. "Do you have anything to say for yourselves?"

"...They started it?" Levi replied a little uncertainly.

His team and Boss gave a glare that could have boiled him on the spot. Chrome was the only person who remained calm and collected and Xanxus tried not to pay her any attention. For some reason he didn't want her to get involved with his oncoming 'discussion' with his father but it wasn't like he can ban her from the room now.

"Did you call me back here to have your guardians scold at me like hen pecking fags, old man, or do you actually have something important you wanted to discuss?" he grunted as he stared Timoteo in the eye fiercely.

The old man looked up at him from his staring contest with the tabletop, peeking at him from over hands folded under a wrinkled chin. Xanxus would never admit it but that 'look' had always made him feel like he had done something to disappoint the old man leading him to undergo a severe case of frustration that would oftentimes lead to property decimation. One would think he would have out grown such childish feelings but now he had actual proof that he might never really get over it.

He had admired and looked up to Timoteo since he was a child; before he even really learned he was not his real son and heir, Xanxus had wanted to make this man proud more than anything else so he excelled in everything he was taught. Timoteo gave him something he had in spades but never really had a reason to have before. Something to be proud of. A legacy. Something to live for. Growing up with his mother so addled in opium she had literally lost her mind merely taught him of poverty and humiliation. He was too young to understand that his anger and frustration was borne from the desire to live for something greater. He was no one and was worth nothing and people had no problems reminding him that he was nothing more than scum at the bottom of their shoes every single day until he eventually got pissed off enough to release his Flame which led his mother to live with the delusional fantasy that she had slept with the Vongola Nono.

But despite the fact that she practically gave him away he had been relieved. He had been shown how to live in a way he could be proud of and he clung to it with angry desperation because he knew he could never live at the bottom again. He had become what he had been since he had seen the kind nature that was his father and how enemies would take advantage of that and attack him and his loved ones during the most inopportune moments so he had decided he would not act the same way as the old man. Instead, he had decided to be tougher, stronger, more fearsome than anything the world has ever known so people would have to be insane to try and cross the Vongola ever again.

So all in all, while Timoteo taught him how to be proud of himself, he also taught him- inadvertently- how to be jaded.

Unfortunately this had cost him his relationship with his father. And he was too stubborn to turn back now. His feelings were unchanged; but his anger had burned too many bridges.

"Xanxus," Timoteo started and met his glare with no trepidation. "Do you have any idea what you have just done?"

The Varia boss scowled back at the old man. "He attacked me and mine. He deserved what he got."

"This scandal would lead to a war and Vongola will be right in the thick of it."

"Then let there _be_ war!" Xanxus shouted back. "I won't back down from that piece of scum!"

"This is the reason why you can't have been Decimo," Timoteo shook his head tiredly. "With that kind of thinking, Vongola would have been destroyed a long time ago."

The words were like a blow to the gut and Xanxus wanted nothing more than to destroy the world at that moment. His team also tensed in indignation at what the former Vongola Boss said with Squalo practically vibrating with anger, Belphegor with a twitchy grin on his face as he reached for another set of knives, Lussuria crackling his knuckles and Levi's eyes widening with rage. Hell would have broken loose if it weren't for the soft voice that suddenly echoed in the tense atmosphere in the room.

"If I may speak?"

Everyone in the room turned and seemed surprised that _she_ was there, looking still, calm and as serene as a statue of the Blessed Virgin herself, seemingly unfazed by the argument and potential bloodbath taking place in front of her.

Timoteo squinted at her after his initial surprise, probably trying to place her face. "Who are you? Xanxus, when did you acquire a woman as an officer?"

"Don't you recognize her?" Ganauche asked the old man with a wry smirk. "I guess it would be hard since its been years since we've last seen her; that's Tsunayoshi-sama's Mist Guardian; Chrome Dokuro."

The 9th Generation Guardians tensed at the news before the tension changed into confusion and then to curiosity.

"What happened to Mammon?" Bouche Croquant asked, his deep voice enveloping the entire room.

"Unfortunately he had to leave with Reborn on some Arcobaleno business so I was asked to take his place at the moment to provide Varia an illusionist's support," she explained briefly. "More importantly, I feel there must be some sort of misunderstanding concerning the Varia's involvement with this incident in Spain."

"What sort of misunderstanding could there be?" Coyote returned with a frown that softened when directed at her. "Young lady, I assure you, with the Varia involved, misunderstandings are rife and without question."

"Would you not care to hear my report on the attack that was made to this Spanish politician then?" Chrome asked calmly instead, her face neutral. "After all, as temporary Head of Intelligence it is my obligation to give you my report on the matter."

The 9th Guardians looked at each other in confusion while Timoteo gazed at the woman with more than a little bit of curiosity. Xanxus and the Varia, in the meantime, shot her a look and tried to calm themselves down, taking advantage of the opportunity she was giving them to compose themselves.

"Go ahead," Timoteo answered her. "Let's hear your report."

Chrome nodded slightly and stepped forward until she was standing between Timoteo and Xanxus before speaking. "At around 0200 hours the day before an unidentified group of the same description and weapons as the group that attacked the Vongola Decimo six months ago infiltrated Varia Headquarters despite the improved security using a mysterious new technology which is currently being researched by the Vongola technicians even as we speak; this technology renders the people using it invisible of sight, smell and sound and it is unsure if this also gives them the ability to walk through walls and other matter."

"WHAT?" Coyote leaned forward, his face a study of horror and surprise.

"The work of an illusionist?" Bouche Crouquant inquired, his deep voice conveying his concern.

"No, it was not the work of an illusionist; in fact, those men had no special kind of flames at all," Chrome told them. "Their resolve had come from the fact that they hated the Mafia and serves only to take down our world.

"After questioning them at length I found out and confirmed the whereabouts of their origins and their affiliations as a private army called La Justicia Pasada owned by the man you had just been watching a while ago. Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad. We have attacked their main headquarters as soon as we found it in order to investigate the matter, eliminate the threat and rescue Irie Shouichi who was their captive at the time."

Xanxus watched Timoteo look towards Ganauche and the 9th Generation Lightning Guardian nodded his head at the silent question. "He's resting in one of the guestrooms right now. He looked pretty beaten up."

The old man's forehead wrinkled a little bit deeper as he considered this before looking back at Chrome again. "I see."

"There's more," the older men stopped and stared at her neutral expression again, waiting for her reply and she didn't disappoint. "This man has also found a way to douse Dying Will Flames."

At that news, all the 9th Guardians' faces paled until they looked like blank sheets of copy paper as they stared at her.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"Sacrilege!"

"That is _not_ possible."

"It's true," Ganauche told them with a flat voice much to his fellow Guardians' surprise and shock. "I was there; I saw all of it. Xanxus and the Varia were all affected when I got there and I had to intervene but this young lady here managed to get us out of there."

But Chrome was not even fazed. "Even if Xanxus-sama wanted to burn all of you right now, he wouldn't be able to do so. All the Varia were doused with a chemical that renders Dying Will Flames useless. I am as of yet unsure as to how they managed to make such a weapon."

"Ugh, so _that_ was this disgusting _thing_?" Lussuria complained and looked down at himself in disgust. "I swear the next time I see those bastards I will rip them _apart_!"

Levi was pale as a sheet of paper as he stared at his hands in horror, apparently just realizing this. "My flames... they're gone!"

Belphegor was suspiciously silent and his ever present grin was nowhere in sight as he fiddled with his knives.

"VOI! GET A GRIP ON YOURSELVES, SCUMBAGS!" Squalo yelled at the top of his voice, his long hair clumping unappealingly under the mass of foam he was doused with a few hours ago when they made the break out of Spain.

Xanxus ignored the scene his guardians were creating behind him in favor of watching Chrome through narrowed garnet eyes. How dare she say that in front of Timoteo as though he- Xanxus- was weak? He was _not_ weak. But then again, since Ganauche had already witnessed what happened he didn't exactly have the right to deny it. But was Dokuro telling his old man everything to curry favor? He wouldn't be surprised; the only time people showed up their best faces to the old bastard was when they wanted something from him.

"This is worrisome..." Timoteo said after a while.

"Gee, you think, old man?" Squalo asked acidly from behind the scarred Varia boss.

"We need to let the Decimo know about this as soon as possible," the 9th said, ignoring Squalo's attitude, his whole attention now was on Chrome. "What else have you learned?"

"Questioning the enemy, I have found that he is... quite disturbed," a worried frown crossed her face and Xanxus itched to find out what had made her make that expression. "Apparently he has some history with Xanxus-sama."

The red eyed Varia boss perked up at this; this was not something he knew. "What history? I don't know the scum. If I did I would have killed him already for being pathetic."

"Xanxus." Timoteo scolded his son warningly and nodded to Chrome to get her to continue.

"Well," she nodded at the scarred man briefly in acknowledgement before staring back at Timoteo as well, irritating Xanxus a bit that he had lost her regard. "Apparently, when he was a young college student and staying at a friend's house whose family was involved in some smuggling for the local Mafia, you and the Varia were sent to eliminate the Mafia boss who was also staying there at that time. They were double crossing the Vongola on some deals and killing off people under the 9th's protection. From what I have gathered in his mind the image of you burning the Mafia boss and his friend's father with your bare hands was more than his mental state could bear at that time and he developed a psychological problem. In short he is afraid of you... and he will do anything and everything to kill Xanxus-sama; even if he had to rip through the entire Mafia world to do that. He cannot stand Xanxus-sama's existence in the world and what makes Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad different and dangerous is the fact that he has the means and the power to pursue anyone he wanted _whenever_ he wanted to as we now know from his actions."

"...Is that it?" Schnitten Brabanters broke the silence that followed her words. "This man will go so far only to kill Xanxus?"

"He is ill," Chrome nodded once. "He needs no logic since he has already been broken by fear."

She was interrupted by the steel fist from Coyote that banged the desk in front of them in anger. "Then deal with it, damn it! Why should the Vongola have to shoulder Xanxus' mistakes?"

Xanxus' nose flared. He really hated Timoteo's guardians. Since the Cradle incident he had never seen eye to eye with them at all. In fact, he suspected that the only reason they didn't bother him so much except on missions was because of their respect for the 9th who did not wish to kill him.

"We should not worry then," Brow Nie Jr. shrugged his delicate looking shoulders even as he crossed his arms over his chest. "If it's Xanxus and the Varia they could deal with it."

"But the risk of getting the entire Vongola dragged into this mess is large," Visconti replied calmly and aloofly even as his index finger tapped on the documents he had laid down on the table earlier. "We should not get the family involved in such capricious foibles."

"Then we are in agreement," Coyote seemed to be forcing himself to be calm. "We need to deal with more important issues than trouble ourselves with Xanxus' problems."

Xanxus sneered at them all but forced himself not to care. Trust the old bastards to leave him and his Varia when things got rough; this was the reason why he made it a condition for his troops to be 100% efficient in their missions; because he knew the Family would only deny what he did in order to keep themselves clean; never mind that he and the Varia did what they did for the sake of that Family.

The scarred man raised a hand to stop Squalo when he felt his second in command ready to spew hellfire and damnation at the older men and the shark reluctantly obeyed. This was Varia; the dark side of the Mafia. They should be used to this kind of treatment by now.

"Is that all you want to tell me? Then let's go;" he told his team as he started walking away from the 9th Generation. "We're leaving."

"Is this the extent of the 9th's power?"

Surprised, everyone stopped to stare at the woman, still standing where she originally was and staring deeply into Timoteo's eyes who snapped his eyes at the young woman in front of him.

Chrome continued neutrally. "Are you so helpless that you would merely watch as Varia is threatened by an insane man?"

"You watch what you say, woman!" Coyote leaned forward towards her threateningly after recovering from her initial words.

But Chrome was unintimidated. "The Varia has shouldered the sins of your generation for years throughout your leadership and even though the 10th generation admittedly has no need of their tactics they are still considered valued allies. Are you telling me that now that you have no use for them you are just throwing them away like so much garbage; deny their existence and pretend the past never happened?"

The Varia officers stood where they were, frozen at her words and wondering if Chrome Dokuro was actually... defending them.

"ENOUGH!"

"You seem to be forgetting yourself, 10th Generation Mist Guardian," Bouche Croquant looked deeply into her eyes, the tension in his large frame threatening. "You have no right to speak of the 9th that way."

"It seems I am not the only one forgetting herself," Chrome returned with equal calm. "Is this the reason why you were so anxious to have Decimo replace you as Boss? Because you have no ability to care for your entire family?"

"You SHUT UP!" Coyote pointed a metal finger at her. "YOU were not there when Xanxus threatened the 9th and tried to take over the Vongola! You had no idea how many people he had killed just to get what he wanted! You have no say in the matter!"

"My _Decimo_ has known of this for a long time now; I have stood witness by his side during the Ring battles and even _he_ has let bygones be bygones," Chrome returned quietly. "Are you telling me the 9th Generation cannot do the same?

"The Varia are the representation of your generation's sins. Are you so ashamed of the mistakes that you had committed in the past that you wouldn't care whether they lived or died so you can wash your hands of them and pretend they never happened even to the detriment of the future?"

"They are _monsters_," Brow Nie Jr. barked at her in disbelief. "They have no place in the world Decimo is trying to build!"

"I _know_. They are the faces of the Vongola's shadows and a reminder that even though my Decimo is trying to build a perfect world, it cannot be helped that the darkness will always follow the light; the Vongola are the Day as the Varia are the Night. Besides, calling them monsters, aren't you forgetting, 9th Sun Guardian," the finality and firmness in her tone was hard to miss even though she never raised her voice. "That you _made_ them this way."

At that it looked as though the older men had run out of words to say.

"My Decimo considers the Varia a valuable pillar who supports the Vongola and I obey his will," She then turned back to Timoteo. "Even if you put all that aside, you should at least remind yourself that he is _your son_."

"…What do you know of the duties a Boss has to do to support his Family?" asked a trembling 9th Generation Storm Guardian as he did his best to keep himself still. "How can you stand there and judge us the way you are doing right now?"

They watched as she merely turned her face away, her expression remaining completely neutral and unreadable for everyone to see as she spoke. "…Because I have a Boss who is the perfect definition of an all encompassing Sky…"

And with those final words she turned on her heel towards the doorway, her cloak flying around her and softly faded into thin air in a sheer haze of indigo Mist leaving the rest of them in the room to stew in the remnants of her words and the faint traces of her scent.

Xanxus felt his heart stop; he was having a hard time breathing even as he stared at the now empty spot where the woman who had just— in her own quiet way— passionately fought for them to be supported by the Family had been standing on. He couldn't understand her; what was she after? Was she insane? Never in his entire life could he even remember a time when anyone had seen fit to speak for them in such a manner. They didn't need such a thing; _he_ didn't need such a thing. And the rest of the Family treated them like dangerous caged pets— like dirty little secrets to be hidden away and never touch unless it was absolutely necessary. He thought Sawada's Guardians were too naïve to realize the Varia's position in the Family; he thought that idiot Sawada brat was an ignorant moron who looked at everything merely through rose tinted glasses and that his Guardians followed suit… but it seems he was just proven wrong.

Xanxus did not claim to be a saint; he had killled too many people and had enough flaws to officially send him to Hell the moment he died. But despite knowing that Sawada's Mist Guardian accepted his and his men unconditionally.

"Xanxus," the Varia boss looked at the man he called father, without realizing he was wearing a dumbstruck look on his face. "It seems I have made a bad impression on the 10th Generation Mist Guardian just now. I feel ashamed that I have seemed to have disappointed such a lovely young woman. I must apologize to her."

"9th—"

But Timoteo raised a hand, effectively putting a stop to whatever argument Coyote had at that moment. "Stay here in Montalcino with your men for a while until I take care of the damage this man Trinidad is doing. Even at my age I still have quite a few contacts in the Italian and Spanish governments to derail his plans and stop the anarchy he is trying to create against you and the Mafia. I will also send word to the Decimo about what happened while I keep you safe."

Realizing what the old man just said, Xanxus' walls all raised red flags and snarled back at the former Vongola boss fiercely. "I don't _need_ your damned protection!"

Timoteo then stopped him when those golden brown eyes smiled with the same warmth and fondness he had remembered and treasured all throughout his childhood in this very same mansion in what felt like a lifetime and a half ago. "If you won't do it for yourself then please… do this for me as a favor."

Fuck.

How was he to refuse the old man now? And besides, what would Dokuro think if he refused? Where the hell did she go anyway?

Double fuck.

This was the reason why he hated talking to the old fool.

"…Fine," Xanxus scowled, his arms over his chest as he looked away. "But I get my old room back; I am _not_ rooming in with these idiots."

/*****/

**A.N.:** Review? Please? (~makes big puppy eyes at readers~)


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie Book1: ...Xanxus**

**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**Tsuyoshi95: **YES I am not planning to rush the romance; I find it extremely hard to believe that Xanxus could fall in love or admit to anything close to love at first glance. Like the stubborn idiot he is he will fight his feelings tooth and nail until he has no choice but to acknowledge it (insert evil laughter here) Torturing Xanxus will be fun; kufufufufufufufufu; pls keep on reading from now on and thank you so much for leaving me feedback!

**Black Diamond07: **A NEW REVIEWER OMG! Thank you so much; I'm glad you like it! Chrome really is my favorite out of all the KHR girls bar none; this is my TYL portrayal of her and I am so happy you like it!

**Konohanasakuya-hime: **LOL, yeah there's gotta be a reason why the Varia still refer to themselves as the 9th Independent Assassination Squad so Xanxus must care about him SOMEHOW; I'm glad you're catching the little hints and yeah; LONG LIVECRACK! Honestly, we need more crack in the world involving Chrome. -_-;

**GoddessOfTheRain**: O_O Wow, a stalker? I mean, a 'lurker'? Well let me just leave the door wide open; hehe; just don't take the tv ^_^; Thank you so much, I feel honored that you deemed me worthy of a review; the fact that you usually don't leave reviews makes me extra grateful and honored! And, yeah, we ALL want to hug Xanxus; the only thing stopping us is the fact that he'll shoot us if we do -_-;

**DannyTF94**: Hehehehe; really? I'm glad I didn't disappoint and, yeah, this is all a part of the rapport I'm trying to build around all my characters and also to reveal more about my TYL!Chrome; to be honest, I'm only making up the 9th Generation Guardian's personalities as I go but I'm happy they work in this story; I really have no background to fall on; and yeah, I needed to explore Xanxus' reasons for acting the way he does to make him a bit more human since this IS a romance, after all. Thank you, I'll be looking forward to your feedback on this story always! ^_^v

**phppsmss**: I'm glad you found it acceptable; yes, her loyalties will remain unchanged as this is a vital part of her current personality's make up; as for the attack on Tsuna I'm afraid I won't be elaborating that in this story but I will be tackling that on Between a Kiss and a Lie Book7: Tsuna when I get to it. Thanks for dropping me a review!

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE EXTREEEEEMMEEEEEE to all of you who left me a review and added me to their alerts and faves! It truly is an honor!

**A.N.**: Still not much action here, sorry. A lot of swearing though. ^_^v

Please Enjoy! ~_^v

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Chapter 7**

"Hello!"

Visconti raised an eyebrow at the irate tone of one Gokudera Hayato over the phone and assumed the most logical conclusion. "I suppose, from the tone of your voice that you already know what happened in Spain?"

"Yeah, I'm looking at the news right now; have you talked to Xanxus yet? What did that bastard think he was _doing_, Visconti?" the 9th Generation Cloud Guardian could practically hear the _sneer_ on the much younger man's voice.

"We asked him the very same thing just a little while ago," he answered. "He says they were attacked by that man's private army the night before they left for Spain."

Silence and then. "No. Way. Someone was insane enough to attack the Varia at their own headquarters?"

"Xanxus claims that he merely retaliated in response to the threat but has been ambushed during the attack," the Cloud Guardian continued. "It seems this Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad has a bit of a vendetta against him."

"_Half_ the planet has a vendetta against Xanxus, but no one goes out of their way to get back at him because they're all in their right minds, what is this guy; _crazy_?"

"Apparently so."

"...Oh. That explains a lot then."

Visconti's lips twitched the tiniest bit in amusement at Hayato's reaction. "In any case, we already have a report ready for you and the Decimo to read; the 9th has decided to put Xanxus under his protective custody until he can arrange for his contacts to fix the mess and I will expect to be cooperating with you as liaison between the Nono and Decimo. I'm faxing you the details right now."

He could hear the whirring of a fax machine on the other end of the line indicating that the 10th Generation Storm Guardian was already beside said office equipment probably swimming through a river of documents. When he heard a gasp he knew Hayato had managed to get to the part about the substance that can douse Dying Will Flames. The lengthy silence rustling of paper after that indicated how the young man was reading through it before he spoke again.

"You've even got an analysis report from CEDEF; how did you get through this information so quickly?" he asked in incredulity.

"Apparently your Mist Guardian, Signorina Dokuro had discovered the substance first during the attack on Varia headquarters and sent a sample of it to CEDEF before she went with the Varia to Spain to confront the source of the problem."

Another silence came on from the other line but this silence seemed different from the earlier silences where Hayato was reading the documentation he sent him. It almost seemed like the younger man had temporarily forgotten what they were originally talking about and it made the Cloud Guardian wonder if it had anything to do with the Mist Guardian's name.

"...Chrome's with Varia?" Hayato finally asked, breathless from the other line.

His tone made Visconti highly curious and it made him stare at the phone in front of him for a while before speaking again. "Her interrogation of Trinidad was also our source of knowledge as to this man's reasons for wanting to destroy the Mafia."

"Or Xanxus if what I'm reading here is right." he could hear the Storm Guardian scowling, seemingly recovering from the mention of Dokuro's name. "I have half a mind to turn him over to this lunatic and get it over with and just let them fight this to death between themselves; Decimo does not need this sort of aggravation so near his birthday!"

"That would be well and good however your Mist Guardian seems to think that your Decimo would not approve of such actions were we to make such a decision."

"Yeah," Hayato said reluctantly. "He'd probably march over to Spain and rescue the ass. And then Xanxus would probably end up despising him even more because God help the poor bastard who actually _dares_ show the asshole some _compassion_."

Visconti had to smirk at that. "You seem to know Xanxus quite well."

"Believe me, if you've met him that time when we were fighting Byakuran you'd understand why," Hayato replied wryly before sighing and the crinkling of more paper sounded off on the other line. "I'll run this by the 10th and tell him what happened; just keep us updated so we can work up a plan together soon."

Visconti nodded. "Would you like us to send Signorina Dokuro to personally report her findings to your Boss—"

"_NO_!" the Cloud Guardian's brows rose in incredulity at Hayato's sudden shout from the other line and there was a long period of silence before the panicked Storm Guardian spoke calmly again. "I mean, it's fine; we don't need to mention her to him; we can avoid mentioning she's with the Varia _at all_."

"Hayato," Visconti narrowed his eyes at the phone. "Is there something wrong?"

"_Nothing's_ wrong," the silver haired right hand man answered in a seemingly exhausted tone. "Just... please... Leave the reporting to the 10th to me."

Visconti stayed silent for what seemed forever, wondering how far he could push the issue but he was afraid the 10th Generation guardian would only clam up even more. Nonetheless this may be something his 9th would want to know when he spoke to him next time. "Alright; I will leave everything up to you, Hayato; good night."

An audible sigh of relief was released on the other line before Hayato's relieved voice came through. "Thanks; I'll contact you as soon as I discuss this with the 10th. Goodnight."

Once the line went dead, Visconti had pause for a while before slowly returning the phone to its cradle and staring out of the slightly chilly September air outside the window of his office at the Nono's private Montalcino residence. The beautiful Italian countryside was engulfed in a half moon that night and it had enough light for him to see the shadows that made up the beauty of the 9th's private estate.

After the discussion between Timoteo and the Varia, rooms were prepared for all their guests and Chrome Dokuro was the only one not present in her room that night. Apparently she had stayed by Irie Shouichi's side to watch over his recovery since he had yet to regain consciousness after he was placed on a bed but a brief discussion with the 9th revealed she held no ill feelings for them or the old man; she was much more concerned about Irie's health than anything and even members of the Varia could not make her step away from the scientist's side. She was also given her old room but from the accounts of the servants she had yet to use it this night, barely leaving Irie's side to give him the reports she had received from both Basil and Spanner. The girl made him curious, though, very curious.

He had heard from Bouche once that Mist Guardians were inherently mysterious and he was inclined to believe it. It seemed to be in their nature to hold so many secrets an ordinary person found hard to perceive. But something else was going on behind that aloof facade of Chrome Dokuro. There was pain in the secrets she was keeping and the 9th Generation Cloud Guardian couldn't help but want to know what they were. Beautiful women like her weren't meant to hold such painful secrets.

"You seem preoccupied," Timoteo's voice roused him from his reverie and Visconti looked up to see his old friend move in himself and his wheelchair within his office. "You're not turning in yet, Visconti? How was your discussion with Hayato?"

"Productive as always," he answered, nodding towards the old man in respect. "However there is something I want you to hear that I have found strange in the conversation…"

/*****/

Chrome was getting worried; Shouichi had yet to wake up and even though she wanted nothing more than to rush him to a hospital she knew she could not forsake his safety. Trinidad wanted him for something or else he would not have kidnapped him. She needed to protect him even if it cost her her life.

The opening of the door made her startle and her fingers automatically position themselves to make a barrier; her frayed nerves after the battle she had just been in with the Varia playing havoc on her senses. But when she saw it was merely the slender form of the 9th Guardian of the Sun she relaxed, knowing she had no reason to fear him.

"Ah, so you were here," he commented as he stepped closer towards her. "We were wondering what became of you."

Chrome stood up and bowed her head to the older man in respect before her eyes automatically sought out Shouichi again. "I promised him I'll be here when he woke up again; he had gone through a lot."

Brow Nie Jr. watched her form still wrapped in her Varia uniform and couldn't help but admire her devotion to her friend. "He's still unconscious?"

"Yes," her quiet tone seemed to say it all. "I'm afraid he might have had some sort of concussion; I want to take him to the hospital so badly."

And he understood why she was hesitating. He personally understood how difficult it was to balance duty and sentimentality.

Chrome heard a sigh from the man and looked up just in time for the 9th Sun Guardian to hold out his hand over Shouichi's chest until he was touching the redhead's skin by his fingertips. She then saw his flame light up and the lizard tattoo on his left cheek glow bright before the mark started moving and scuttle over his arm right down to the patient's chest where it lay like a living thing and enveloped the scientist in its yellow glow. Slowly Chrome saw the pained expression on the redhead's face soften into one of relief.

"We will have to leave him like this until morning if he wants to recover; my flames may not be as strong and vibrant as Ryohei's but it should haul Signor Irie out of his predicament in no time; you should not worry about it now."

Chrome directed a wide, grateful eye at him. "Thank you..."

Brow Nie Jr. stopped and stared, his mind surprised at the transition her expression made. Was this truly the young girl who had reprimanded him, his fellow Guardians and the former Vongola Boss earlier? It seemed so hard to believe now with that look on her face. The Sun Guardian straightened and looked back down at her from his taller height and Chrome couldn't help but feel as though this man was analyzing every bone in her body like a man unsure as to what to think of her. It reminded her of the first time she met Boss and the others during the Ring Battle.

"You should walk away."

Chrome blinked up at him in confusion, unsure as to what he was trying to say. "Excuse me?"

"Walk away," Brow Nie Jr. told her, looking her in the eye. "Xanxus is not the type of man who responds to kindness favorably. He'll hurt you. Badly. And I think you deserve better than that."

Chrome blinked once again as the older man's wrods wrapped around her mind. She realized the 9th Sun Guardian must be worried about her and she must have gotten some of his approval if he was expressing such a thing right now. She was touched by the gesture, her soul always hungry for a kind word and a sympathetic gaze but she could only smile sadly up at him. "It is not my intention to be kind to him."

Brow Nie Jr. raised his brows at this, not expecting her response. "Your words from earlier says otherwise."

Chrome shook her head at him and spoke softly. "Don't get me wrong, 9th Sun; I stand by what I said before and I won't take them back because I truly believe them; however everything I am doing right now and everything else I am doing with the Varia is all part of my duties as a temporary member. I will continue to act under the best interests of the group until Reborn comes back and assigns me a different role to play; until then I will obey Xanxus-sama."

The 9th Sun Guardian had no choice but to be impressed; often he had encountered women in the Mafia who fought for passion or love or greed and stuck to these beliefs without hesitation risking eveything they had for it and never looking anywhere else or acting outside their chosen paths. If a woman was fighting for the love of one man she would stay loyal to that one man until the end of her days despite what may happen; obeying and being faithful to another, even if it was to the benefit of the man she loved, was never an option. In short, most women in the Mafia fought to stay by the side of their beloved alone; Bianchi was a prime example of this. There was nothing wrong with this; women were created for the love of a man, after all; however there was something so very impressive in the way Chrome was living her life.

Chrome Dokuro seemed different; her motives; whatever they might be seemed much more complicated and widespread to belong to just one single person only. She was the kind of woman who loved wholly, unconditionally; with no shame or regret. Amazing.

"Signorina Chrome," he started after a while, his curiosity eating at him like an infection. "What are you fighting for?"

Chrome cocked her head to the side and blinked before answering him guilessly. "I am fighting for a place to belong to."

Ah... so she was.

"Where have they been hiding you all this time?" the tall man asked with no little amazement as he stared at her. "How could the Vongola Decimo have protected your presence for so long...?"

She looked confused for a bit, cocking her head to the side as she furrowed brows up at him. "I am the Mist. No one has hidden me; I merely hid myself."

Brow Nie Jr. couldn't help but smile softly down at her and ruffled her hair affectionately. "I think I understand now."

Chrome could only blush and blink up at him again in confusion, wondering what he understood.

Brow Nie Jr. only grinned back at the Mist Guardian in front of him. "I've prepared a room for you to stay in; the 9th has heard your plea and we are now sheltering the Varia here in Montalcino. The maids have prepared a room for you inside the mansion and if you follow me I will take you there. Tomorrow morning, the 9th wishes for you to join him for breakfast."

Chrome spared a concerned glance at Shouichi and Brow Nie Jr. immediately sought to sooth her concerns. "It's alright; he's safe here; since Trinidad is also targeting him we will extend our protection to him as well. We won't let anything bad happen to any of you."

Chrome's eye shone with serene joy and the 9th Sun Guardian had to hold his breath in at the sight.

Good Lord this kind of woman did not belong by Xanxus' side; perhaps he should speak to Reborn about assigning her to the 9th's service once he comes back to Italy,

"9th Sun Guardian, can I ask you a favor?"

Brow Nie Jr. blinked and raised his slender brows back at her. "That depends, what is it?"

Chrome decided to plow on since this was a very good opportunity. "Um... it's about Varia headquarters... I'm a little worried it might get attacked while we're staying here and I know they can take care of themselves but... is there anything anyone can do to provide them with additional support in case they were attacked?"

The 9th Sun Guardian raised his brows again at the request before crossing his arms over his chest again thoughtfully. "Can't you ask your Decimo for help on that account?"

Chrome looked down and away hesitantly, drawing a surprised gaze from the older man. "I wouldn't want to trouble him with such trivialities."

Brow Nie Jr. wondered what that was all about. After her passionate declaration of loyalty for the Decimo he expected her to be unapologetic and unashamed to use the 10th's power to whatever extent for purposes she thought may benefit the Vongola Boss' best interests. Why would she hesitate and want to keep this a secret from Tsunayoshi...?

Deciding she would not answer his question even if he asked, the tall man decided to answer her honestly. "We can do something about it, but it's going to cost you..."

/*****/

"Scumbags. Where the FUCK _is she_?"

Xanxus was _not_ feeling very happy at the moment as he glared at his officers who stood huddled all over the sitting room assigned to them for their stay here in the 9th's Montalcino mansion.

It had been three days since they've been taken under protective custody and though it was being kept as discreetly as possible the Varia knew they were being watched closely. Xanxus had a pretty good theory that Coyote was responsible for his continued surveillance but he didn't really care as long as he was supplied with a steady flow of liquor which Levi had happily brought for him straight from the 9th's cellar. Other than that life in Montalcino was pretty simple. Boring. And he could feel his members becoming increasingly agitated every passing day especially Belphegor who had been playing with his knives more and more these past few days. Whatever the old man was planning, it was taking too damned long. He had always thought the old fool took too much time planning his moves. But then boredom, surveillance and his father were not his prime concerns these past few days at all. No, not at all.

It was the absence of the one eyed woman who had failed to report her presence to him since she disappeared after putting his father and his Guardians in their places.

The Varia Boss had tried not to think too much of it and he pretended that her verbal defense of the Varia was of no consequence to him. Of course his subordinates followed suit and dared not seek out the woman. After hearing her defense of them in the face of the 9th Generations condemnation, it seemed they were clueless as to how to deal with her. It was something the Varia Boss cannot fault them for since his men were not known to be knowledgeable in the art of sentimentality. All they respected and responded to was strength. Even Squalo seemed unusually thoughtful about her position now and had not breathed even her name these past few days. Sometimes, though, he could hear Belphegor harass the maids for information as to her whereabouts and had always been answered by either Dokuro being in Irie's room or with the 9th and his Guardians under some sort of meeting; being summoned specifically by the old man himself. This added to his irritation.

Of course, he would never say he was becoming frustrated that she wouldn't give him any of her attention; why should he care that she wasn't showing her face around the Varia at all? No, his frustration stemmed from the fact that, as her boss, he should be informed of every move she made at all times. She was part of the Varia for now and every move she made should be made for the Varia. Because that was how things are supposed to be. Or so he told himself.

So now, telling himself he had the right to know what kind of progress Timoteo and his Guardians had concocted these past three days, Xanxus decided to finally seek her out.

"Voi," Squalo ducked inside the room, his brows knotted as always and a scowl lodged on his face that reflected that of his Boss'. "The maids said she's about to join the old man for breakfast."

"What? What a _cheat_!" Lussuria complained, irritated. The man had also been restless and would often wander about biting into his freaking lacy handkerchief. "Keeping Chrome-chan to himself all this time! Scoundrel!"

"Ushishishi! We should go hunt her down," Belphegor pulled out his knives and started licking the blades off one of them. "How dare they deprive The Prince of his toy."

"They'll pay for making the Boss angry!" Levi nodded emphatically with a scowl, finally finding a reason to disturb the quiet caused by his Boss; bad mood.

"I heard they're making her do some stuff in return for her stay here and for the 9th's help," Squalo said, his arms crossed over his chest and his scowl darkened. "Fucking bastards better not have made her do something unreasonable."

Xanxus felt his interest and his anger rise at the news. He had not heard of such a thing while he was here. Ignoring his officers he stood up and stormed the corridors of the mansion and finally burst in on his foster father who was beginning to have breakfast in his favorite part of the house; the gardens, along with his Guardians.

The old man smiled at him wryly in welcome. "Good morning, Xanxus; you're up early... and sober, I see."

"Can it, old man, _where the hell_ _is she_?" Xanxus roared, wanting nothing more than to break the round breakfast table in two but was held back by the glare the 9th Guardians were throwing his way.

"Are you talking about Signorina Dokuro?" Timoteo asked him casually over a cup of breakfast tea.

"WHO ELSE DO YOU THINK I'M TALKING ABOUT, OLD GEEZER?" he roared out at the top of his lungs, his Varia officers falling in step behind him.

Several birds flew out from the trees nearby in a panic.

"Calm down, Xanxus, you're acting as though I've kidnapped her or something."

"Did you?" the scarred man growled back.

Timoteo raised his brows at that. "What makes you think that?"

Xanxus bared his teeth at the former Vongola Boss fiercely. "I wouldn't put it past you after she cut off your Guardians' balls off the first hour we were here."

"Language, brat." Coyote growled at him in front of Timoteo's breakfast table.

Xanxus merely snarled back hatefully at the older man.

"Why don't you join me for breakfast, son and tell me what has gotten you so riled up this early in the morning?" the old boss invited his son over calmly.

"_I don't care about fucking breakfast_, tell me where the FUCK she _is_!" crimson eyes glared defiantly at the 9th Storm Guardian, looking ready to tear them all apart.

"E-excuse me...?"

All the men turned around to see Chrome in her black suit; a black blazer over a white dress shirt and tie, black ankle length skirt and black high heeled boots to complete it; her hair remained loose and flowing and her hands were full of official looking documents that had the 9th's seal ready to be placed on it. She looked exactly as she did the first time she appeared in Varia headquarters when Reborn dropped her off.

She blinked and shied away a little, taken aback by the glares she was receiving. "I'm sorry... am I interrupting something?"

"No, my dear, of course not, please come join us for breakfast," Timoteo greeted her with a warm smile. "Xanxus here was just about to join us."

"Who said anything about joining you for anything, old man?" Xanxus growled out to his father but his eyes lost their wrath and was replaced by a softer shade of red as he finally rested his eyes on the indigo haired female.

He didn't understand how seeing her right now felt as though a big weight was being lifted off his chest for some reason. Like he had just now remembered how to breathe.

"Alright," Chrome was still a bit hesitant but stepped forward just the same. "Anyway, I have the paperwork you were asking for, 9th. I'm sorry it took so long."

"Not at all, my dear, you know you can always leave that off for later; Visconti wouldn't mind."

But Chrome shook her head at him. "These are pensions and insurance benefits meant for the family of all the deceased members under your jurisdiction when you were still Vongola Boss; things like these should not have to wait."

Timoteo grinned wider. "Have you learned this from Tsunayoshi as well?"

Xanxus narrowed his eyes as he watched her eye soften and blush at the mention of the brat's name. "Health care and benefits are always the first thing the Boss looks for when dealing with paperwork; not matter how troublesome he thinks they may be."

The Varia Boss scowled. Why the hell did she sound so fucking proud of the brat?

"Of course," Timoteo nodded approvingly. "It is my way of conveying my gratitude to the people who had served me faithfully."

"Oh, Commander Squalo," Squalo jumped, not expecting her to call out to him. "I just had the men fax over some of the paperwork from the previous missions assigned that had already been completed. Here is a list of other mission orders but you'll have to go through it for approval; they're already sorted in your office."

"What are you talking about?" the shark asked, perplexed by her words.

Chrome merely blinked up at him. "You didn't read them? I asked the maids to deliver them to your rooms because I was a little busy."

"Oh is that what they were?" Belphegor was suddenly hopping over towards Chrome, his grin fully restored. "I think I scared them so much they threw them all over the hall; ushishishishi."

"Little heathen," Lussuria sneered at the blond even as he grabbed Chrome around the waist. "Giving dear little Chrome-chan more work to do!"

"Peacock, I _said_ no _touchie_!"

"Oh," Chrome blinked before sighing a bit, taking their interaction in stride. "They're important, I should go get them."

"Nevermind that, child, come sit and relax; I'll have the butler look into that later," Timoteo shot Brow Nie Jr. a look to which the tall man nodded politely to. A silent communication passing between them that meant the Sun Guardian would be retrieving the documents later. "I also have something I wish to show you and the Varia."

Xanxus scowled at the old man for a second but his eyes were dragged back to Dokuro when she stepped forward gracefully towards the breakfast table; she shot him a respectful nod before Schnitten stood up to pull a chair out for her to which she nodded to the older scarred man in thanks.

Since when did the fucking old geezers start treating Dokuro like a fuck mothering princess?

Deciding he'll look into this later, he snapped his fingers and instantly Levi had a chair set up for him right across Timoteo and right beside Dokuro. The Varia all stood behind him, waiting.

"Here are the results of the investigation we held on Trinidad," Visconti told her, handing over a rather thick looking folder to each her and Xanxus. Squalo took the folder meant for his Boss and started reading. "I believe you will find this most fascinating."

Xanxus narrowed at the folder that now held the woman's undivided attention, practically making the poor paper burst into flames.

"Oh..." her soft gasp made his garnet eyes flicker up to her face and felt a curious tightening in his chest at the pleasure he could clearly read there. "This is wonderful...!" she looked up towards Squalo with a wide eye. "We have him."

Xanxus grunted; indicating that he wanted an explanation.

A grinning Squalo was quick to comply. "Bastard's been kidnapping scientists from Verde's lab. They were the ones developing the weapons albeit unwillingly. He's hostaged their families in exchange for their research."

"He must have been planning to do the same to Shouichi," he heard Dokuro say as she continued to flip through the pages efficiently. "There's even evidence here that he's used ill gotten wealth he had acquired while in office and has records that he had used the Spanish army for personal reasons more than once... Timoteo-sama, there's enough evidence here to get him abdicated from office! How did you get all this?"

"Let's just say the Prime Minister was an old classmate," the old man winked at her. "He owes me a favor."

"We are now only waiting to have him caught in the act as final proof and these files will magically appear during his trial from out of nowhere," Ganauche smirked. "It's all enough to put him away for a long, long time."

"Too bad he's not in the Mafia," Bouche said as he took a sip of his latte. "It would have been better if Vindice could have taken him away."

"No." everyone looked at the Varia Boss who was now scowling at the table in front of him; slouched in a gesture of boredom, temple resting on his fingers and ignoring the food served in front of them. "I'll deal with him myself."

"Xanxus," Timoteo spoke reprovingly. "Really, can't you let this go?"

The scarrred man bared his teeth at his father. "Not a chance in hell."

"Then please wait until his trial is over, Xanxus-sama," Dokuro spoke to him and his eyes flew to her again like a fucking magnet. The moment he saw her eyes on him, the ache in his chest rose a bit more. "This way he would lose all credibility and his death would not be missed by anyone except for the Mafia world who will recognize your handiwork."

He had to admit she could think of some really good ideas. The subtlety of a woman and the brutality of a calculated hitman. Had any other man seen how guilessly she had delivered such a proposal, their blood would have turned to ice. In any case, this only aroused a fire in his loins that made him regard her darkly.

"That sounds like a good idea," Squalo nodded behind him, supporting Dokuro's opinion. "It would be taken as a warning by the other Families not to mess with us."

Timoteo sighed and took in the scent of his now cold tea. "Alright; I will contact the Decimo to let him know Varia will take care of the problem. My people will make the arrangements necessary to start his abdication. Do you think Tsunayoshi would mind, Signorina Chrome?"

Chrome's cheeks blushed and her eye softened at the mention of the young man. "No... he would not mind at all if it was you asking."

Timoteo smiled fondly at the young woman as he sipped his tea. He had found a soft spot for Chrome Dokuro these past few days while she helped him and his Guardians with their paperwork and admired her dedication to duty and her sincerity. Every move she made, though quiet and subtle had her signature grace and devotion imprinted on them. A woman of quiet passions.

After speaking with Visconti and at his Sun Guardian's request he had kept an eye on the young woman and made sure to mention Tsunayoshi's name as often as he could and after showing her a collection of photographs taken during the Vongola Decimo's high school days he asked Reborn to send him at the time his suspicions were confirmed. It was a complicated situation she had found herself in but she held everything in and acted as she should and more. She was a perfect Guardian; being able to act despite the turmoil in her feelings. He was proud of her and had no choice but to smile.

But that smile dropped off when he saw the way his son was looking at Chrome Dokuro.

It was a look that he was all too familiar with and was surprised that he would find such a look on his violent son's face. Xanxus who had never had any passions other than his anger and battle had never worn such a look while staring at anybody and the old man wondered if the younger Boss even knew he had this expression on his scarred face at all.

Timoteo closed his eyes, counted to 10, then opened them up again.

Xanxus remained staring at Chrome Dokuro now quietly chatting with Lussuria.

The former Vongola Boss felt his blood run cold and his heart ache for the man he had loved like a son. Worry spread through him like a fist in the gut and he could only furrow his brows at the realization that had hit him like a Dying Will Bullet right between the eyes.

'Oh my God, Xanxus, please don't...' Timoteo prayed in the privacy of his mind as he set down his teacup with a shaking hand he tried to hide from everyone else on the table. '...I'm begging you, please... don't fall in love with her...'

/*****/

**A.N.:** Review? Please? (~makes big puppy eyes at readers~)


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie Book1: ...Xanxus**

**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**Skylark-90:** I can't believe one of the authors to some of my fave stories reviewed this fic! I AM SO HONORED and star struck! I was like blinking and rubbing my eyes when I saw your review and I even compared your sn to the sn on the stories of my faves and I was like 'Nah…' But then you responded and I was like TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY! I will hope for your continued support, sensei!(bows to Skylark-90-sama). Thank you for thinking Chrome was awesome; I just wanted her to be this way because I feel her potential as a character in KHR is horribly being downplayed. Sorry about the long wait, (pleasedon'tdie!)

**Cora**: Thank you so much, I hope this chapter satisfies you as well; as for how she views Tsuna well… kufufufu, you will have to wait for that! Anyway I thank you sincerely for your kind words; it has touched me deeply that you share my opinion of a well written story and I am extremely flattered you thought mine had this quality; I am honored.

**Black Diamond07**: KUFUFUFUFUFUFU I know right? Why shouldn't he? Why shouldn't THEY? LONG LIVE CRACK!

**Saigon238**: (blush) Thanks, hehe, I'll try to do fanart when I get the time hehe; I am so happy you like it!

**A.N.**: I couldn't help but go kufufufufu all over my keyboard as I was typing this chapter; sorry for the wait but I was really busy, guys.

Please Enjoy! ~_^v

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Chapter 8**

Xanxus didn't know what to think.

How did everything come to this?

Why did this all happen?

The whole situation had his mind in a death grip and it won't let go even if he beat it and burned it mentally down.

He couldn't believe he had just sat there all day staring at Chrome fucking Dokuro like a fucking _fool_.

He was looking for her because he was going to reprimand her; not stare at her like an addle brained _moron_. All through the meeting with the old idiots the only thing he could do was stare at her and grunt absently whenever Squalo asked him something. The worst part was that he only noticed he was doing all that at the end of the meeting when she was moving to walk away.

He was getting pissed.

It didn't matter who he was getting pissed at; the emotion was the only thing that should matter to anyone when it came from him. It continued to boil even as he led his men back to their designated rooms but as soon as he entered his godforsaken cage and saw her looking around his childhood room he couldn't stop himself from staring again.

Squalo and the others have left her behind to stay and gawk at his room at the door while the others bickered noisily. Suddenly, Xanxus felt self conscious of this fact and realized he had never allowed a girl in his room before except for the maids who were too scared of him to stay around for him to acknowledge. He now doubted the wisdom of using his old room's living area as Varia's meeting room while they were here.

His garnet eyes followed her as she quietly and gracefully walked towards one of the small ornate desks that littered the front foyer. She picked up one of the rare pictures of him; he knew which one it was. It was a picture of him during his first week here at the mansion after Timoteo took him in. He was standing beside the sitting then Vongola Boss with his large Irish wolfhound lying faithfully at their feet. It was taken in the same garden they have left a few moments before. Right then and there Xanxus wanted to burn the picture into smithereens but seeing the small smile spread quietly on her lips made him stop. He wanted to know what she was thinking so badly...

"VOI! DOKURO!" Squalo yelled all of a sudden holding onto a sheaf of papers he had found somewhere in the room. "These the papers you wanted me to see?"

Xanxus didn't know whether he wanted to thank the Varia Rain Guardian or shoot him dead.

"Ah, yes, Commander," Chrome answered, putting the picture down carefully back onto the tabletop before turning towards the silver haired man. "If you would care to read and sign some of those documents then I will fax them right over to headquarters with your permission."

Squalo took a look at the papers and browsed through them, nodding here and there at some of the things he had read so far even as he walked away absently towards the nearest desk that had a chair and a pen.

"You've been busy, Chrome-chan~" Lussuria told her as he left Bel and Levi battle it out with parabolas and knives around the room. "You've been neglecting us; you're making Lussuria-nee sad!"

"I'm sorry," she bowed to him slightly in apology. "I was needed."

"Woman," Xanxus finally found his tongue again as he glared at her intensely. "What were you doing with those old geezers instead of being here with the Varia?"

Silence fell around the room at the first touch of malevolence that came from him. Everyone could tell he was angry. Even Levi and Bel halted their impromptu fight.

Chrome remained serenely quiet but the expression in her eye was sincerely apologetic. But still she showed him no fear. "I'm sorry, Xanxus-sama; it's just that they asked me to help them with some things in exchange for a few favors."

"What _kind_ of work?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Chrome blinked. "Just the usual sorting of paperwork and some miscellaneous accounts they wanted a second opinion on."

"Voi. You do accounting too?" Squalo looked up from his paperwork intrigued by this information. "Since when?"

Chrome blinked back at him solemnly. "I was Hayato-san's assistant for quite a while and I operated through most of the bookkeeping and paperwork with him and the Boss; it's no big deal."

Angry that he was being ignored; Xanxus stepped forward and pulled her head back by her hair, forcing her to look back at him. He will not be ignored by _anyone_ and he would show them all that he was in complete control of himself _despite_ this witch of a woman. "I was asking you a question, bitch."

"Xan-chan~" Lussuria started, worriedly glancing at the female Mist Guardian who winced in pain at the contact.

A knock on the door disturbed the little chaotic display and Lussuria hurried to open it to see a quivering footman holding out a bunch of official papers that had the 9th's seal on it. He took one look at the scene between the Varia boss and the young woman the servants have come to respect and he immediately handed the papers over to the Varia Sun Guardian before the young man practically ran away.

"Squ-chan, I think these are for you." Lussuria waddled over to the shark who looked at the documents immediately.

Xanxus ignored them all; he was staring at her again in realization.

So this was what he was looking for. Her pain; her emotions... For something about her to break and make it clear she was more than just a porcelain doll who went through the motions. He knew this was the case because his anger melted at the sight of her pained expression and it was replaced with glee especially when he saw the yellowing bruises on her neck. He licked his lips, the scent of night blooming jasmines floating to his nose from her skin made him want to sink his teeth into the soft curve of her throat to see if she tasted as good as she smelled...

"Voi, Dokuro, does this have anything to do with these request sheets for border inspections and back up at headquarters?" Squalo suddenly asked her, holding onto a couple of sheets of paper that had the 9th's seal on them. "Was this the favor you asked from the old geezers?"

His second in command's words brought Xanxus back to attention and he stared at the shark with a frown on his face even as he kept a hold on Chrome's hair. Squalo met his eyes with an impressed expression on the shark's usually irate face. The Varia boss practically shoved his face back towards Chrome's again.

"What. Have. You. _Done_?" he growled at her, his breath making fringes of her hair float away from her face.

Still she made no move to fight him despite the wince on her face. "I... was worried... They don't know anything and they might be... taken by surprise by the enemy using the same methods they used on us so... I asked the 9th Sun Guardian to get them some security..."

"We're the fucking Varia, moron!" Levi thundered angrily at her, his eyes burning. "Are you telling us we're weak?"

"B-but..." she gasped when Xanxus' hand tightened on her hair. "W-we just got some new recruits shipped in last week... If we left them alone... they would be defenseless..."

"Then that would be something they deserve!" Xanxus practically threw her away from him and continued to glare at her. Lussuria caught her by her shoulders, however and righted her instantly. "The weak have no place in Varia. If they die then it's nothing more than they deserve."

She held onto the part of her head where his hand had grasped, her scalp probably tender; but her eyes were more sad than angry than anything else. "But... it takes time to be strong... Wouldn't you want to see how far they will go...?"

"And what would you know about strength?" he sneered at her from above his nose. "Did you think they would thank you if they found out you were nurturing the weak? You will run Varia to ruin."

She straightened and bowed her head, slightly; her face back to that aloof, porcelain mask and the Varia boss struggled against the urge to break it. "I apologize for stepping out of line then."

A knock on the door broke the discussion they were in and Xanxus fought the urge to feel grateful for the interruption. Because frankly, he didn't know what else to say to her.

Lussuria opened the door again to reveal a stoic looking 9th Cloud Guardian and a slightly anxious looking 9th Sun Guardian at the door.

"Sigñorina Chrome," Brow Nie Jr. called out to her, elbowing the younger Sun Guardian aside. "Would you mind letting me borrow a moment of your time?"

"Ah! Of cou—"

But before she could move a step towards the older men, Xanxus stood in her way, glaring at the 9th's Guardians from the corner of his eye. "She's busy, go away."

"She can't refuse," Visconti told him, his hands in his pocket. "We had an agreement."

Out of the corner of his eye, Xanxus saw Chrome bow to him again, and bit her lower lip this time before passing him to walk towards the 9th generation Guardians. As soon as she reached them, Brow Nie Jr. immediately had his hands over her shoulders and ushered her away from the room, glaring at Xanxus and the Varia from over his shoulder before Visconti closed the door.

"That cute little footman must have told on you, Xan-chan," Lussuria suddenly said, breaking the furious silence that followed. "He's not really my type but do you want me to do something about it?"

"Tch, you do that and it'll be _your_ ass served on the 9th's next tea party." Squalo told him off.

"Shi, are we going to let them just take her like that whenever they want to?" Belphegor asked, obviously irritated. "They can't do this to The Prince ."

"Shut up."

Everyone froze at the coldly furious tone in his voice and stood very, very still.

Sensing his mood like the proper right hand man that he was, Squalo immediately sent Levi for alcohol. Lussuria even mixed him some drinks. A nice little concoction the peacock named Kamikaze. Xanxus liked it so much he had the bastard make him a whole water cooler of it. He settled down on a thickly padded lounge chair next to it, releasing Bester from his box to make sure no one came near him as he drank himself stupid.

And _that_ was what kept him from destroying his father's Montalcino mansion in a nutshell.

The rest of Varia didn't know exactly what was eating at their boss but they knew it was wiser to keep away from him at this point so they did since they wanted to live a little longer. They left to mind their own businesses since they knew Xanxus would be safe in the 9th's mansion. Xanxus, as was his custom when he was alone, sank in a drunken stupor.

And kept thinking of the woman who stubbornly refused to stay out of his mind.

/*****/

"Hmm… finally done."

Chrome stretched her arms out behind her and sighed in contentment as she glanced at the paperwork she had just finished for Brow Nie and Visconti that day. For some odd reason, they seemed determined to lock her up in the offices along with all this paperwork but as usual she didn't question. She owed them a favor and she was willing to uphold her end of the deal while they were here. Even if it wasn't really necessary.

Glancing at the large grandfather clock decorating the room she decided it was time to call back Mukurou. Walking over towards the balcony of the second floor office, she gave out a low, soft whistle. A few moments later, her box animal flew out of the darkness of the night towards her.

"Did you have a nice flight, Mukurou?"

Chrome stretched out her arm to let her Mist owl land on her forearm and the box animal cooed when she rubbed its chin with a finger.

"We used to do this all the time at the mansion, didn't we?" she asked the white owl preening its feathers. "You used to fly with Kojirou and Hibird all the time when Hibari-san and Takeshi-san comes to visit the mansion here in Italy."

The bird gave off another hoot; slowly and mournfully up at her.

Chrome's smile faltered at the sound of it. "Do you miss them that much?"

The box animal turned its face away aloofly and Chrome felt tears burn its way up her eyes as she buried her face against the Mist owl's soft body to keep them at bay as she whispered softly to it. "I'm sorry… It's all my fault."

A quiet, dangerous growl suddenly tensed both flame user and box animal from their contemplations and Chrome hugged Mukurou to herself as she looked around towards the ground, searching for a potential enemy.

"What was that?"

She paused and listened. Again she heard the sound and allowed Mukurou to fly over her head so she could take her trident and prepare herself against any threat. However, when she saw just who was watching her she stopped short and blinked. Because standing just a little below from her and drinking out of an almost empty bottle stood the Varia Boss leaning against a large olive tree with his purring box animal at his feet, both glaring at her through fierce, violent eyes. She blinked in confusion. Xanxus was never seen in this part of the mansion before.

As she stared, he finished the contents of his bottle and threw it away, never taking his garnet gaze away from hers as though daring her to run. He then strode up towards her deliberately and when he was close enough, jumped onto her balcony until he was looking down at her from the ledge. Bester followed, flawlessly mirroring its master's grace.

Chrome wondered if he was going to give her another reprimand. She folded her trident and put it away to make it clear that she was not going to fight him.

"Woman," he started, his eyes flashing in the light of the room she was in. "Why?"

Chrome blinked, not understanding his question. "Xanxus-sama?"

He narrowed his eyes at her and she felt that unerring killing intent that had always been prevalent in the Varia boss since the first moment she saw him. Chrome watched calmly. He then jumped down from the balcony ledge and leaned against it, Bester's form framing him like a large white, animal sized cushion behind him.

"Why do you not fear me?" he asked again, his words slow but rife with resentment and a faint curiosity which seemed to only fuel it. "Do you think something like Reborn's warning would stop me from killing you?

"You're nothing but trash," he continued, his arms crossing over his chest as he looked down his nose at her telling Chrome in no uncertain terms that she was worth nothing more than gum stuck on his shoe. "Insignificant, weak, quiet, an eyesore, useless… I wouldn't be surprised if Reborn lied and Sawada threw you away because he found no use for you but since it was the Arcobaleno then I have no choice but to give him the benefit of the doubt."

If it were anyone else and if it were ten years ago, those words would have crushed her already tattered self esteem but now Chrome merely took these words like a duck took to rain and allowed them to simply roll over her back without getting her wet. She merely stood there and allowed him to rant.

"And yet you try and dare to act like you're something better than what you are," Xanxus continued, mercilessly trying to provoke her; ruthlessly attempting to get under her skin. "Do you think you'll be acknowledged by any of us if you try and continue doing what you do? Don't make me laugh."

Chrome gasped in surprise when Xanxus grabbed her by the front of her shirt and leaned in close, leering at her with eyes so dark they were almost black. "You're only good for one thing," he closed in and buried his face in the crook of her neck inhaling her scent like a fresh spring breeze after being trapped in a burning building. "Spread across a bed, a man between your thighs and your legs wrapped around him…"

The Mist guardian shuddered at the coiling heat that burned with his touch and she had to breathe deeply to catch her breath, biting her lip to keep herself from moaning. His gravelly voice was like a calloused touch running through her skin and it made her shiver. He smelled... surprisingly nice as well. Underneath the scent of alcohol she could smell the scent of spice, oranges and brandy. It made her head spin. She had never felt anything like this before... If it were anyone but her, Chrome would have thought this man desired her. But years of being shunned; of being seen only as a tool, a weapon and a vessel had taught her not to expect more of such things from others. She was merely a toy and allowing herself to believe she would be desired as normal people would could only lead to her own ruin. To her, other people's perceptions of her would be as something they could throw away at a moments notice. Only one person has ever made her feel otherwise and it was for that person that she would hold onto the last threads of self preservation she had left in her. But how can one protect oneself from someone like Xanxus? How did the Boss face such a dangerous man before?

Ah.

She got it now.

"You may be right, I may be nothing more than that…" she whispered right beside his ear, pouring in all the honesty in her heart, trying to stop her breath from hitching at the feel of his lips burning her skin as he continued to bury his face in the crook of her neck and nuzzle her there. "That is why I feel safe with you, Xanxus-sama."

She felt him stop at her words. Chrome decided to continue. "Because Xanxus-sama wants something significant; he does not desire with futility and wants only the best in everything he acquires. He would never settle for anything less like me."

Xanxus removed his face from her addicting skin and stared at her with incredulity written all over his face. He searched her for any lies; being a man of deceit and schemes he had known how to read such things in others; but he found none of these in her eye.

He had sought her out tonight for one thing and one thing only. To have her submit to him and hurt her until he was satisfied with himself again. To prove that he was above her and her wiles. But the moment he saw her glowing under the warm Montalcino night holding that damned owl and the soft, sad smile on her face he forgot himself again. And the moment he was close enough to smell her he knew he had to get closer.

The moment he felt her softness underneath his lips he knew he had to have her but he would have her under his own terms. She would not sway him with soft feelings nor would he let her think she had him trapped by her femininity like how the other women in the mafia used their sex to get what they wanted. He would use Chrome Dokuro.

He expected her to fight her way out of the corner he backed her into and he decided he would laugh at her rejection as he crushed her defenses and forced her to comply to him. He expected her to lie to him and coyly submit and he decided to humiliate her as thoroughly as possible as he used her body to release himself. Xanxus decided he was going to be as selfish as possible with her and not care for her own needs or comfort at all…

But her words had completely thrown him off. He decided she was being coy and deceitful just like every other woman he had known but… looking into her face he realized she completely believed what she was saying.

"Are you alright, Xanxus-sama?" she asked softly, her nose picking up the scent of alcohol on his breath. "You're drunk; you should lie down and rest."

Xanxus scowled and backed away from her. For the love of God, he didn't know how to deal with this kind of woman. A woman who was so dangerously unaware of her own effect on men.

_Fuck his freaking life._

The scarred Varia Boss backed away from her until he was leaning back against the balcony railing again, Bester nuzzling his cheek as though sensing his turmoil. Xanxus swatted the animal away.

"Why are you doing so much for us?" he decided to ask instead, getting rid of another question nagging at him since she acted to protect him during the night attack on the headquarters where he was first deprived of his flames. Trying to stabilize himself against the threat she presented to his senses still addled by the scent of her skin. "If you think we would reward you or give you any sort of recognition then you should think again. I've killed subordinates that are stronger than you for less than what you have already dared."

She met his eyes, a tinge of a blush lingering on her cheeks that just made him lick his lips at the lingering desire to run his tongue over them. Xanxus swallowed this desire down.

"I don't need any reward." She answered quietly with a slight shrug.

He scowled at that. "Then what _do_ you want?"

"I don't want anything from you."

"Pfwah! You're fucking with me," he sneered at her. "Everybody wants _something_. Even that idiotic brat Sawada _wants_ something. Don't give me that bullshit that you don't need anything."

"What I want is something that can never be mine so I already accepted the fact that I could never have it," she told him with that painfully honest smile again. It was not a naïve, innocent smile the likes he had seen on Sasagawa's little sister; Chrome's was the smile of an innocent who had borne much pain. So much so that Xanxus suddenly understood that whatever pain he might inflict on her would not matter to her anymore. In a way, she was shockingly just like any of his Varia officers who _expected_ pain as part of their lives. Her words also made him curious as to what it was she had wanted and given up on. "However there _is_ something I need."

This perked Xanxus' interest to the point that even Bester twitched his ears to hear what she had to say. When a person needed something, they became easier to control. "Oh?"

Her smile turned a little brighter as she turned away from him and caught her Mist owl on her forearm, smiling at the white feathered bird in a way that tugged at the dead and charred remains of Xanxus' heart. "A place to belong to."

This answer made him raise a brow at her answer. "And you've found this place?"

"I have found this within the Vongola," she nodded, still looking at her owl. Xanxus couldn't help but think how appropriate her box animal was for her. Beautiful, mysterious, elegant and wise. "And I will do everything I can to keep it safe. So it doesn't matter whether I work for Varia or Foundation or CEDEF or with the other Vongola Guardians. They are all the same to me as long as I can keep this family safe."

"And what of internal conflict?" he smirked, reminding her of the Ring conflict ten years ago. "What if it came to that?"

She met his gaze with a directness that erased all hints of gentleness on her face. It reminded him of the look she had when she tried to protect Squalo from him the night he threw the stupid swordsman out the conference room's door back at headquarters. "Then I will side with that which I think would benefit the Vongola the most."

Meaning she would side with Sawada, he thought bitterly, remembering the way the ring had rejected him as Decimo. Of course she would; she was his Guardian, after all.

"Xanxus-sama," she asked all of a sudden, gathering his attention once more. His only answer was a grunt, thinking she was merely going to ask him something insignificant. "Are you still interested in becoming Vongola Decimo?"

The question made him stop and stare at her with a scowl, thinking she was mocking him; but her features merely conveyed a curious question, nothing more and nothing less. This merely multiplied his resentment, twice over, however and it was reflected in his voice. "The rings had already rejected me, you saw it for yourself. Even if I wanted to it still doesn't change the fact that I am unworthy."

She silently accepted his words and she uttered none of the mockery he half expected her to make. Instead she gave him a soft, understanding smile. "I don't think that's it."

His brows furrowed at that. "What do you mean?"

"You are a flawed man in many ways, Xanxus-sama," she replied honestly. "But by your actions, by your loyalty and even in the way you uphold the name of Vongola… you are in no way unworthy of the position to me."

For a moment he was struck speechless and all he could do was stare at her again. Squalo and his officers had bleated like angry sheep when they lost the Ring conflict back then despite his brilliant scheming and since they were all men of action they acted accordingly enough to tell him, all without words that he was still above Sawada Tsunayoshi despite the fact that the ring had violently rejected him. This was the first time he had heard of anyone saying such things to him.

So of course he wanted to lash out and respond with violence; only the fact that he was still unsure how to deal with this woman with the soft words one moment and deadly illusions the next kept him from acting upon his desires to inflict pain. "Stop fucking with me; even the old man and his circle of old geezers keep saying I was unworthy. How could the mere adopted son of an old man given away by his own mother be worthy of being Vongola?"

"I am only stating my own opinion about the matter; make no mistake I know you are not a good man; but your malice is aimed to anyone and everyone who seeks to harm those which are embraced by this family in all its essence; for me that is enough to make you worthy," she replied calmly as she continued to pet her box animal softly. "Besides, the circumstance of our parentage doesn't really matter. My mother didn't want me either and that didn't stop me from trying to become stronger and neither did you."

Xanxus blinked at her last words. What did _that_ mean?

How the hell can this insignificant woman possibly know what he _felt_?

Suddenly she became overwhelmingly dangerous in his eyes. A danger that threatened his very essence; all his beliefs and principles and honestly considered killing her. She had the potential to become a weakness. _His_ weakness. It was something he _cannot_ allow.

Before he could open his mouth and pursue this topic further, the door to the study opened to reveal Brow Nie Jr. with a trolley of tea and cakes. He was surprised at the Varia Boss's presence there before this turned into a scowl.

"Xanxus, what are you doing here bothering Sigñorina Dokuro?" the Sun Guardian asked with a growl.

Bester growled warningly back.

"It's alright, Brow Nie, there's something I wanted to discuss with him anyway," Timoteo came in his wheelchair being pushed by Visconti. "Ah, excuse us, Signorina Dokuro, are you done?"

"Yes, I am," she straightened and held out her box to put Mukurou inside. "Is there anything else you wish of me tonight, Timoteo-sama?"

"Oh no, please get some rest, we are very sorry we had to keep you here this late," the former Vongola boss nodded to her apologetically. "Please retire to your chambers and get some rest."

"Thank you very much," Chrome responded, obviously grateful. She bowed to Xanxus before leaving. "Good night, Xanxus-sama."

Xanxus watched her walk away, wanting nothing more than to follow her and speak to her more. Damn bitch had him jumping through hoops and nooses and she didn't even have a fucking clue what the hell she was doing to him.

"Well now, Xanxus," Timoteo invited his son to sit even as Brow Nie Jr. and Visconti stood each by his side. "I want to discuss something with you."

"About what?" Xanxus growled, refusing to give in to the invitation.

Timoteo smiled at him indulgently and nodded. "About Sigñorina Chrome."

At the mention of her name, Xanxus perked into attention and he glared at his foster father warily even as he tried to act as stoically as possible. "What about her?"

"I was told that she was only assigned to Varia as a replacement for Mammon but I understand how uncomfortable it must be or you to have a single female underfoot in a castle full of men."

"So?"

"So," Timoteo casually picked up the teacup Brow Nie Jr. gave him as he spoke. "I wish to propose a trade."

"Trade?"

"Yes," the old man nodded with a smile. "I am willing to take her off your hands in exchange for one of my own illusionists trained specifically by Bouche himself. You don't mind, do you?"

/*****/

Review? Please?


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie Book1: ...Xanxus**

**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**A.N.: BELATED HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  
><strong>

Sorry guys but aside from the fact that I have been very busy with real life lately my sister in law thought it was funny to sneak into my room to use my computer while I'm not there and not properly shutting it down. So when it was my turn to use it the computer crashed and I had to wait to get it repaired because I didn't have the time; and since my back ups have been ruined I lost files for this story as well as the story I was working on with WeAreMadland/Morgana. I'll try to update as soon as I can, though, not to worry. Thanks for the wait. ^-^v

**Devil-Queen-Wolf-666**: Thanks for reading; here you are lol

**Chrome pairing fan1**: Oh wow, really? I'll be looking forward to your comments on the other stories then; I absolutely love pimping Chrome around kufufufu!

**KOF-712-B**: Now, now, I'm sorry; thanks for reading this story, I'm glad more people are giving Chrome a chance hehe; and what do you mean funny? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? hehe; weird chapter huh? how was it weird? I'd love to know so I can improve my writing ^-^. AND STOP SPOILING THE STORY, DAMN IT! -_-;

**killer0meganekko**: OMG I missed you so much; I can't believe you left me a review! By the way, see that second scene down there in this chapter? THAT WAS YOUR FAULT TO THE EXTREME! THAT SCENE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE WITH HAYATO AND TAKESHI. But because of the change of plans which _you_ caused I was forced to revise it! Hope you enjoy it ^-^v

**iLaviRabi**: Thank you so much; I am so happy you noticed such things!

**Skylark-90**: I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG *sob sob* PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEE! Gosh, don't you think there are just almost zero to no Chrome/Squalos out there? I'm so happy you think they're cute too; that shark is just too damn irresistable! Thank you so much for all your kind words; I savored every single one of it if you can believe it hehe; I swear my eyes were probably sparkling, my co workers thought I was on crack I couldn't stop smiling all day. And yeah, that conversation was unfinished if you noticed it, there will be a continuation of that encounter later on in the story. And it's okay to be a perv! I rated this M for a reason and not just because of the swearing LOL! Luv ya luv ya luv ya!

**Jao Jao**: Thank you so much, please enjoy this new chapter! ^-^

**Tsuyoshi95**: No way that's impossible! Thank you so much for thinking so, though and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

**deadly-chronicles**: Dear, if there's anyone who knows exactly what busy feels, it's me; so major THANK YOU for leaving a comment and telling me what you thought; I'm glad you still like the story; I can't believe I blew you away hehe; Yeah, I thought it was time they had some alone time together; I'll try to update as soon as I can, I promise hehe ^-^

**A.N.**: That said, Please enjoy! ^-^

**Chapter 9**

Lussuria had to admit, the whole Montalcino mansion of the 9th Vongola sure had its perks. Aside from the lovely array of delicacies in the pantry and the impeccable design of the entire mansion, they had a collection of some very entertaining servants.

Right now, he was in pursuit of one of the more entertaining ones, a guard of the 9th assigned as one of the sentries for the night. A capoeira master of considerable talent and he had seen the man spar with some of his collegues a few days ago while he was off duty and the Varia Sun Guardian was loitering around in boredom. Lussuria knew he would love to play with him a little bit. Of course, not enough to physically injure him but he could always use the excuse that he wanted a sparring partner. He knew that boor Coyote would nag and yell at him to death for the mess he was about to create but at least the Varia Sun Guardian would be able to alleviate the restlessness that had been bothering him since they were forced into exile in this mansion.

He knew he wasn't the only one thinking this; he was pretty sure Belphegor was ready to kill everyone in sight if not for the outings Squalo took him to. Random missions for the 9th that kept the Ripper occupied enough not to commit a massacre and force the Vongola to turn on them. Levi was content just following Xanxus around although tonight it seemed that the perverted Varia Lightning Guardian was out and about peeping at the bathing servants again. Not that he could blame the afro headed man, of course. He had to admit that their boss was especially irritated earlier and staying within ten feet of the scarred man would be dangerous for anyone's health. Why that was Lussuria could only speculate one. Perhaps it was because the scarred man was forced on the same table with the 9th but that could only be one component of a lot of other things. It was known that there were few things that could not irritate Xanxus. Why, the man acted as though the world was created especially to piss him off. But then all the Varia officers knew that he would never be able to forgive the old man for his betrayal eighteen years ago.

In fact, the only person among them that had no problem staying put was Chrome, it seemed. He wondered if the young woman could ever feel uncomfortable. It seemed that she adapted to whatever situation they gave her flawlessly. She fascinated him; alright, part of the reason was because she was probably practically a corpse herself but then again, the fact that she was something he could not classify kept him happy that she was alive. Besides, it was fun to have another girl around.

She was a contrast in every sense of the word. Lussuria understood, probably together with Squalo, how odd the members of Varia was and that they were not for normal people to swallow at all. Belphegor either did not understand this or chose not to understand in the first place and Levi was too Xanxus-centered to pay this any mind but Lussuria and Squalo knew they were all splashed with a dash of crazy strong enough to ward off the other crazies and completely alienate the sane ones. But Dokuro didn't have a problem with them at all. The fascinating part was that, although she seemed to be indifferent to them, she had shown a deep understanding of them in a way no stranger like her would normally possess and it made her inadvertently invaluable to them. As though she was riding on the fence between apathy and love. No one in the Varia would admit that, of course, but the silent affirmation was there.

The strangest part was that she was in the 'sane' category.

When he asked her why she defended them from the 9th and his guardians that first day she said it was because of duty and Lussuria had no choice but to believe her. He had sensed in her no lies.

Lussuria knew Belphegor had already noticed this; after that outing they had in Spain and the way he was interacting with her when they got back to the hotel until now, the Varia Sun Guardian had no doubts that she had caught Belphegor's apathetic eye, a no small feat seeing as Belphegor was apathy personified. After her show of defense for them in front of the 9th and his Guardians, this fact had become undeniable. Despite her non emotions, Chrome Dokuro seems to be a person who pulled out emotions from people around her left and right. Lussuria was not saying it out loud for fear of his life but it seemed even their Boss was starting to regard her with something akin to hate.

And hate; as they know in Xanxus speak; was a form of love he reserved for those who sucked.

And since Chrome Dokuro _didn't_ suck Lussuria couldn't help but wonder if Xanxus had discovered another layer to his 'hate'.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, OLD MAN?"

Lussuria barely managed to keep an undignified shriek as the fierce snarl of one of the objects of his thoughts exploded like a bomb from a slightly open door to his left. From the crack, he observed Xanxus standing on a balcony talking to the 9th in his wheelchair with Brow Nie Jr.; the 9th generation's backs towards the Varia Sun Guardian. Curious, and never really one to care for etiquette, Lussuria came close and observed as discreetly as any Varia officer could, curious as to the reason for Xanxus' anger and wanting to see if his Boss needed any help.

Not that Xanxus would ever _ask_ for any but it was the thought that counted.

He hoped.

"I have grown quite fond of Signorina Dokuro," Timoteo started to tell him. "She has proven to be most diligent and efficient and has made most of the functions in my current offices much more easier to deal with. Since Reborn is allowing the other branches of the Vongola to borrow her then I might as well take her in as I am sure she must be proving to be an inconvenience to you, Xanxus."

"So let me get this straight," Lussuria heard his boss say in a much more quieter voice as he glared at his foster father murderously. "You want me to give Dokuro to you like some fucking novelty shop item and you want to dump one of those douchebags that pass as illusionists in this shit hole in exchange to support _my_ Varia?"

Lussuria had to blink at that and then glanced at the 9th. Why would Timoteo do such a thing? What the Varia did was _none_ of his business! What was his sudden interest in Chrome Dokuro?

"Bouche's ilussionists are well trained by the best," Timoteo calmly told him, not even fidgeting in his wheelchair. "They can even rival the ilussionists that the Cervello trains. I am sure they can more than make up for Signorina Dokuro's absence in your team."

Xanxus fell silent but narrowed his eyes at the old man before moving it to Brow Nie's face. "Was this your fucking idea?"

"I don't know what-"

"Don't lie to me, you fucking fairy; I saw the way you were looking at her," the Varia boss smirked at the slender older man maliciously. "I didn't know fags could like little girls."

"Watch your tongue, brat," the 9th Sun Guardian hissed at the scarred man and Lussuria could see his hands tightening over the handles of the 9th's wheelchair until they were bone white from the pressure. "How _dare_ you insult me that way!"

Xanxus' smirk vanished. "Then what the hell are you up to?"

"Xanxus," Timoteo cut in before more sharp words could be spoken between his son and guardian. "Brow Nie is merely concerned about Signorina Dokuro's situation. As a _gentleman _he thinks it is unseemly for a lady such as her to be affiliated with the Varia."

"I don't hear _her_ complaining."

"That's because she's too much of a _lady_ to complain."

"No one's _asking_ her to be a lady," Xanxus smirked at Brow Nie in a way that was sure to infuriate the 9th Sun Guardian. "As long as she's doing her fucking job then I've got no reason to kick her out."

Timoteo sighed and from his hand movements, Lussuria could tell he was rubbing the bridge of his nose as though trying to alleviate a major headache. "So does this mean you are refusing me?"

_"Fuck_ yes!"

Lussuria could practically feel Brow Nie's eyes narrowing on his boss. It was all he could do not to laugh out loud. His Boss had always known which buttons to push when it came to his foster father's bodyguards; he's been doing it since he was a kid. "What are you up to, Xanxus?"

Lussuria watched Xanxus cross his arms over his chest. "What the hell does that supposed to mean?"

"She's not strong, she's not useful except for the obvious and she's obviously not crazy enough to be blindly loyal to you just because of _you,"_ the 9th Sun Guardian went on. "So the only reason you would be keeping her around is if she's part of some elaborate scheme you've planned out. So what are you planning?"

Xanxus smirked the smile of the devil before striding casually and stopping by Brow Nie's left side and replying quietly in his ear. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know...?"

And then the scarred man started to walk away from them. He was barely out of the room when the 9th's voice stopped him cold in his tracks.

"Are you in love with her?"

The question was so shocking that Lussuria couldn't blame his boss for the startled look on his face before whirling around to stare back at his father but only found the 9th Sun Guardian torn between glaring at the younger man and shock at the question his boss presented.

"Pfwahaha-" Xanxus started laughing after a while in disbelief thinking it was some sort of sick joke but was cut off when Timoteo turned his wheelchair around and looked at him solemnly, squarely in the eye. His golden brown eyes dead serious and violating ever square inch space of the scarred man's soul. "You've _got_ to be fucking joking!"

"I believe my question is answerable by yes or no," Timoteo did not look away and continued to eye the younger man boldly. "Are. You. In. Love. With. Chrome. Dokuro?"

Lussuria was beginning to wonder whether or not he was supposed to intervene right now before the situation got out of hand.

Like, say, Xanxus _accidentally_ setting the 9th on fire because he got _accidentally_ angry and decided an _accidental_ murder was the only other option for him to get rid of said anger. Which would _incidentally_ fuck their world in a way that it won't be even funny anymore- not that it wasn't already fucked up, such as it is anyway- because the Vongola would hardly let them get off such _unethical_ behavior.

Patricide is looked down on even in the Mafia, after all.

_"Fuck_ NO!" Xanxus finally yelled, his eyes gleaming into bright red garnets. "That kind of ridiculous nonsense is BENEATH me! How FUCKING dare you, old man!"

"That's good," Timoteo didn't flinch but his eyes held some hidden words that Lussuria itched to pluck out. They seemed too juicy to ignore. Stupid Vongola Hyper Intuition. "Because loving a woman like her would only bring you pain."

Xanxus scowled at these words before seemingly giving in to the urge to satisfy his curiosity. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Timoteo stayed quiet and hid his mouth on folded hands as though trying to contemplate what he was going to say before he finally answered his son. "Because her heart is already engaged; and it is not to you."

The Varia Boss seemed taken aback by these words but then he scowled back fiercely. "What the fuck do I care if Dokuro's got the hots for some loser? I'm sure he's as pathetic as she is!"

"I'm just worried about you, son," the 9th Vongola told the younger man, his eyes tired and weary. "I just don't want you dealing with a broken heart or asking her for something she cannot give you."

"Pshfwahahahaha," Xanxus laughed mockingly. "Dokuro? Break my heart? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Have you ever been in love with a woman, Xanxus?" the scarred man scowled as an answer. It was a clear no. "Dealing with unrequited love like that is worse than any pain you have ever felt. It will tear at your heart and it will render your soul in tatters until it makes you wonder how you could even breathe the moment you remember you're still awake. It is unfulfilled want so crushing it would take a truly strong person to carry it around in their hearts and not let them turn to the path of bitterness."

"Worst feeling, huh? Even worse than the one where you let me believe I can succeed the Vongola?"

The question made Timoteo gasp but then the surprise in his eyes melted into sadness and the older man stayed quiet.

"You're forgetting who you're talking to, old man; I am above such pathetic nonsense!" Xanxus sneered at him when he saw the droop in the old man's shoulders and turned away. "As usual, you are so full of bullshit! I've had enough of this, I'm leaving!"

And the Varia boss then walked out of the room and began to walk down the hallway towards their suites. Lussuria began following him in the shadows wanting to provide secret support but instead of surprising his Boss, it was Xanxus who surprised him by giving him an order.

"Lussuria."

The Sun Guardian practically jumped to the younger man's side. "Boss?"

"Find that fuck mothering Leviathan and kick him over here. As soon as Squalo and Belphegor comes back tell them to pack up," the scarred Varia boss continued without missing a beat. "We're going back to headquarters."

Lussuria raised a brow at that. "Oh? Won't the 9th and his Guardians try to stop us?"

"I'd like to see them fucking try."

Lussuria wisely stayed quiet at this statement as he quietly followed his boss back to their rooms. He couldn't help but mull over what he heard the 9th say. His boss in love with Chrome Dokuro? The thought alone should have been funny but...

Glancing at the scarred younger man in front of him he couldn't help but wonder. He knew that Xanxus was just as intrigued with Chrome Dokuro as was the rest of them in the Varia but... to what extent? With Xanxus, his interest with Chrome could be anything and everything and as far as he knew, Xanxus was only keeping Chrome around for Reborn because of the promise of torture for Sawada Tsunayoshi. And they have never seen Xanxus show any interest romantically for any male or female in all the time they have been with him. True, it seemed their boss reserved a certain level of respect for the Vongola Mist Guardian; a far bigger bout of respect than what he had shown the Cervello whenever they did business with the independent organization. But from what Lussuria could see this show of respect was actually rendered almost unconsciously probably due to the fact that Chrome was a discreet person who acted every bit the professional they were. Even Squalo seemed taken with her though the silver haired swordsman would probably swallow his prosthetic hand before he would ever admit that.

What could the 9th have seen in Xanxus' interactions with the quiet young woman that had had him so worried about Xanxus falling in love with her? Not for the first time did the multicolored haired Varia officer wish that he could get into his boss' head. He would give his eyeteeth just to hear what the scarred man was thinking right now and why he wasn't burning everything in sight at the accusation Timoteo threw at him like he probably would do at any other situation.

The Varia Sun Guardian shook his head and decided to keep quiet about this conversation for now. He would wait. watch and listen and if the 9th's words proved true then... Well then he'll burn that bridge when he got there.

/*****/

"HELL, yes!"

26 year old Sasagawa Ryohei stopped and blinked in surprise at the sound of the triumphant shout of the Vongola Storm Guardian as he passed by the younger man's office in the Vongola headquarters that morning. He glanced over at the partially open door that led to the Storm Guardian's domain, his curiosity making him decide to open the door and see what had gotten his former lower classman in such a good mood and if he could somehow get some of it.

He was surprised when he peered in to see the almost unholy glee in Gokudera Hayato's celadon green eyes practically spilling over his wire rimmed glasses as he read over the contents of several papers that seemed to have come from the large red vellum folder sitting on the rather cluttered Storm Guardian's desk with the Dying Will flame of the 9th dancing on it.

"Visconti, you frikking bastard, if it weren't for the fact that I'm straight I'd _kiss_ you right now!"

That made Ryohei stop in his tracks when he heard that before shaking his head and decided he was reading too much into the younger man's words. "Erm... Hey, Octopus-head, what's that?"

"GYAH! What in the— _Don't you know how to knock, Turf-Head?_" Hayato yelled at him, surprised at the intrusion and obviously embarassed at his earlier display.

Ryohei rolled his gunmetal gray eyes at the other man in exasperation. "It was already open, for crying out loud."

He could practically _see_ Hayato making mental notes to lock his doors from now on. Seriously, the hot headed man would never change.

"Whatever; aren't you supposed to be with those women making preparations for the 10th's birthday party?" Hayato asked him, still in a bad mood at being caught off guard.

The Sun Guardian shrugged. "Kyoko said she, Miura and Bianchi got everything covered so they sent me away."

Hayato paled at the mention of his sister. "She's not the one cooking, is she?"

Ryohei's mouth quirked in amusement at the sight of his younger friend practically turn an interesting shade of green at the thought of Bianchi's cooking. "Who knows?"

The Storm Guardian made a mental note to have Lambo do the taste testing at the party first before allowing himself or the 10th to eat anything off the buffet. The last thing they needed was for their allied families to witness the Vongola Decimo and his Guardians dropping like flies in the middle of the 10th's birthday celebration. The entire alliance would be thrown into a panic. At least nobody would be surprised if the idiot cow fell over because he ate something weird.

Gluttony thy name is Lambo.

"So," Ryohei entered the room fully and closed the door properly this time before walking up to the Storm Guardian and his large, fancy redwood desk. "What was all that extreme yelling and kissing Visconti comment all about?"

Hayato scowled and for a minute, Ryohei thought he would snap again before seemingly catching himself and sighing helplessly. "I suppose it can't be helped; you're a Guardian, after all."

The pugilist would have been offended if it weren't for the fact that he was so used to it. They _have_ known each other since middle school, after all. "So it's Family business?"

"More or less," the stormy tempered man handed Ryohei the documents he was reading and allowed him a few minutes to read over the lines before he spoke again. "You remember what I told you guys right? About this guy who knows how to get rid of Dying will flames?"

"That Spanish guy, right?" Ryohei looked up from the papers, already bored with reading it. "What was his name again?

A vein popped out of Hayato's temple. "_Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad_! Where the _hell_ do you keep your brain during _meetings,_ Lawn-Head?"

"Oh, that's right," Ryohei looked up at the ceiling even as he scratched his chin with a finger, the name sparking something in his memory now that he'd heard it. "The guy with the extremely weird name, right?"

Hayato slapped a palm on his forehead then sighed in utter exasperation. Ryohei pouted back at the younger man's silent insinuation that he was hopeless. "Whatever, the important thing is that the 9th has found a way to keep the bastard off our backs and discredit him. All that's left is for him to be watched and make the slightest mistake and he's done for."

"Oh? Ryohei grinned excitedly as he pumped a fist in excitement. "Do we close in for the kill?"

"Unfortunately, Xanxus called dibs on that."

"What?" The Sun Guardian frowned as he deflated. "That's not fair!"

"I'd like to see you say that to that asshole's face."

The resigned, distracted way Hayato said the words made the blood in the boxer's veins overheat and beg to take on the challenge. "YOU KNOW WHAT, OCTOPUS-HEAD? MAYBE I WILL!"

Hayato's eyes widened when the Sun Guardian turned his back on him and headed for the door. Since he didn't have any missions for Ryohei at the moment and the idiot Lawn-Head had never been a person who could stay still unless he was absolutely stoned and drunk out of his mind (not even that sometimes), the Storm Guardian had no doubt it would take little to no prodding for the other silver haired man to do what he just said and catch the next helicopter bound for Varia headquarters. Normally, Hayato would have let the other man do whatever he liked; it was his funeral, after all not to mention he _needed_ the peace and quiet to do his job for Boss, but doing such a thing would create a cataclysmic disaster in the Family of unreasonable proportions if he allowed the older man to do as he wished this time. Because Ryohei knew nothing of the situation that involved one of their Guardians staying with the Varia at all. So Hayato did the best possible way he could to stop Sasagawa Ryohei from acting on an impulse that may get a lot of things out of control for all of them and his beloved 10th.

He jumped on the older man's back and pinned him to the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

"Saving your life, moron!"

"GET OFF ME, STUPIDERA! I'M _GOING_ AND THAT'S _FINAL!" _Ryohei continued to yell as he tried to buck the Storm Guardian off his back_.  
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Hayato held on with some effort; the boxer was larger than his own lean form, after all. "_No you're not!_"

"WHY NOT?"

"Because you _can't!"_

"SAYS WHO?"

"_Says me!"_

"You and _what_ army?"

_"Listen!"_ Hayato began to yell louder as his efforts to hold down the physically stronger Guardian proved to be failing rapidly. "You don't understand! If you go making trouble with the Varia the 10th and the others will know Dokuro is with them! We can't let that happen!"

This sentence startled Ryohei enough to stop his struggles against the other Guardian and go completely still. "What do you mean?"

_Crap,_ Hayato thought as his brain caught up with what he just said and started to think of ways out of this bind he trapped himself in. "Um... nothing!"

But his slackened hold allowed Ryohei the freedom of movement again and the Sun Guardian turned his body to catch the other man's front shirt in his fist and force celadon green eyes to meet with gunmetal gray. Hayato was shocked by the assessing and calculating look in the usually oblivious older man's eyes. It was not often anyone in the Family would look at him with such an unnerving amount of perception except for his Boss and the Baseball Idiot. "Listen, Gokudera, I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed but I've been a boxer long enough to develop the kind of instincts Sawada is known for and ever since I last saw Dokuro in this mansion I could feel something wrong is going on. What is it?"

_Shit._ Hayato tried to bluff his way out of the corner he was presently trapped in. "What makes you think it has anything to do with you?"

"Does this have anything to do with my sister?"

Hayato's incredulous eyes whipped back to meet with Ryohei's steady ones so fast it almost gave him whiplash and a glimmer of triumph sparkled in the pugilist's gray eyes at the alarm the Storm couldn't hide in time. The math genius was forced into consciousness again by the fist that shook him conscious via his red shirt so Hayato was forced to speak again. "Look, everything is under control; there's nothing you need to worry about so just forget about it, Turf-head."

"Tell me," the resolute determination in the pugilist's voice made Hayato scowl. The older man was not kidding. "I want the truth, Gokudera. It's either that or I will go straight to Sawada for the answers."

"...What exactly do you know?"

"Nothing." Ryohei answered with his blunt calm. "Only that my sister is extremely worried about that girl with the weird name."

Hayato gritted his teeth; Ryohei meant business this time; no goofing or fooling around. Everyone in the Family knew that this man would do anything for his younger sister. Kyoko took priority even above the Family's own well being for Sasagawa. The fact that Kyoko's well being coincided with that of the Vongola's was merely a welcome bonus in the Sun Guardian's favor and Hayato knew that if he wanted to spare his Decimo any more problems; he needed to let the older man know exactly what was happening.

He had no other choice.

He had no other choice but...

"No." Hayato finally said, turning away from the older man with a new decisiveness. "It's better you did not know."

Ryohei gaped, floored by this decision.

He knew there was nothing he could do to get the story out of the silver haired man now; it just wasn't possible anymore. Gokudera was a hot head just like he was but like him when he decided on something it would also take the intervention of the Kami to make him change his mind. Ryohei _did_ understand, however, that whatever was happening was a lot more serious than he previously thought. And it somehow had something to do with that girl he usually didn't even know existed. A girl whom his eyes often slid past in abject dismissal because she wilted under the glare of his sunlight.

Nevertheless, he resolved to find out what the hell was going on. His sister cared deeply for Rokudo Mukuro's former vessel and for Kyoko, he would lay open the world.

/*****/

Shouichi stood beside the 9th's wheelchair mournfully as he watched Xanxus lead his officers towards the black Chinook with a small Varia emblem tattooed to its side. Apparently Lussuria had sent for it the moment Xanxus declared they were leaving. He couldn't help but sulk.

He didn't know what happened exactly, but he knew something really bad must have happened. When Chrome woke him up to tell him they were leaving for Varia Headquarters that morning, she said she didn't know what was going on either and Xanxus wasn't offering any answers either. So here he was feeling childishly abandoned by a friend.

Beside him the former Vongola boss and his guardians wore varying looks of anxiety and dismay as they all trained their eyes on the approaching form of the Vongola X's Mist Guardian now wearing her Varia uniform with her folded trident hanging off her back like some sort of emblem that symbolized her purpose and her existence. Instead of following the rest of the Varia towards the large helicopter she stepped towards him and Timoteo, her neutral face melting a little bit with a softness and warmth few could ever really see on her face anymore and this only made the red headed scientist feel even more miserable. He had barely spent any time with her what with Visconti and the others making her run around doing errands.

"Are you going to be alright, Shouichi?" she asked him quietly; her voice reflecting the expression on her face.

Shouichi sighed before glancing at the glaring Varia, especially Belpehgor who was half hanging out of the helicopter to send him a warning grin. "Yeah, I'm recovering quickly, thanks to Brow Nie-san. I'll be escorted back to Vongola headquarters in a couple of days."

She nodded, her eye reflecting her relief. "That's good. Take care of yourself and send my regards to Spanner."

"Why don't you give them to him yourself?" the scientist couldn't help but pout.

She looked down and the sadness in her eyes made him ashamed of his sulking. "You know I can't do that."

Shouichi gritted his teeth against railing about how unfair this entire situation was for her but knew it would be worthless. They both knew she was merely doing all this for the good of the family; a family he belonged to as well.

"I'll..." he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in a habitual gesture of frustration. "I'll start on my research on those stealth chips you sent Spanner as soon as I get back. Make sure you call me."

"I have Spanner's commlink in his room; I'll contact you guys from there." she promised him. "Take care, Shouichi."

She then turned towards the old boss sitting on his wheelchair, his kind eyes boring into hers with warmth and compassion. Shouichi could feel her silent gasp and knew just who she was reminded of as she stared into the 9th's kind eyes. He clutched his stomach in pain for his friend's plight.

"Thank you so much for your kindness, everyone, Timoteo-sama," she inclined her head towards him and his Guardians respectfully. "It was a pleasure being in your service."

"We are sorry to see you leaving so soon," Brow Nie Jr. eyed her with a disapproving frown but his voice was gentle. "I wish you would reconsider and remain here."

"Yes," Visconti seconded, nodding. "You have become indispensable here, we would be grateful for your further presence."

"I'm sorry," she blushed at their words. "But as long as I am not dismissed by either Reborn or Xanxus-sama, I'm afraid I can't stay."

"Tch," Ganauche crossed his arms over his chest and shot the Varia a glare. "Lucky bastards."

Schnitten merely bowed his head quietly in disappointment while Bouche patted the scarred man on the shoulder consoling him.

"My dear," the Vongola Nono started, his golden brown eyes peering deep into hers in a way that even Shouichi felt he was looking deep into her soul. "If you feel the need to run somewhere to find shelter, or a place away from the storm; my home will always be open to you."

Chrome seemed taken aback by the declaration before her eye teared at this act of generosity. The redhead watched her soft lower lip tremble slightly before she swallowed hard and smiled at the old Boss. "Thank you so much for your generosity, Timoteo-sama. I don't know why you're so kind to me; I definitely don't deserve it, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Shouichi noticed Ganauche, Schnitten and Brow Nie Jr. look away sheepishly at her emotional display as though embarassed by it and the redhead couldn't blame them. Chrome may be the gentler half of Rokudo Mukuro once but she had always been innocent and neutral and these traits only hardened into a wary shell when she turned into an adult too soon.

"Please do me a favor?" the old man spoke again after smiling at her thanks, reaching out to hold the woman's hand in both his own.

Chrome blinked but did not pull away. "Anything."

Timoteo glanced at his son, lounging on the Chinook's seat with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed as though denying the world around him; as though he didn't have a care in the world at all. But he knew the younger man was anxious to get away from them and was rather impatient especially after their encounter. Again the old man felt a tinge if sadness at the path his adopted son had chosen before setting his eyes back on Chrome's face. "My son, despite all his faults is a great man. Not perfect, not kind and he will never be gentle... but he is a great man with great passions. Whatever happens please... please protect him from himself."

The red headed genius felt his breath catch in his throat at the words and started to get an uncomfortable feeling that the 9th knew more than he was letting on. Chrome, however, blinked at this request for a while before she nodded, her smile so much warmer than Shouichi had seen on her face since moving out of Vongola Headquarters. "I understand, sir."

"Do you?" her smile melted as the older man released her looking older than he actually was. "I pray that you will be able to forgive him when the time comes then."

Shouichi watched Chrome open her mouth to say something but this was cut off by Squalo's booming voice flying across the cemented part of the lawn. "VOI, DOKURO! IF YOU DON'T COME OVER AND BOARD THIS DAMN BIRD I'LL HAVE YOU FLYING BACK TO HEADQUARTERS ON YOUR DAMN OWL! HURRY THE _FUCK_ UP! THE BOSS IS WAITING!"

With that she bowed deeply to Timoteo, her face still tinged with confusion before she turned around and hurried towards the Chinook. Shouichi, Timoteo and the rest of the 9th's guardians watched the helicopter fly away until it was nothing more than a speck of black in the middle of the clear blue sky.

"9th," Bouche finally broke the silence after a few moments as they all stood around the launch area with their hands in their pockets. "Are you sure it was wise sending her off with Xanxus in the state he is in right now?"

Brow Nie Jr. nodded. "You've seen how he reacted to your accusation. He will not take this or her kindly."

"Don't worry," Timoteo sighed, his hand reaching for the bridge of his nose to rub it. "My son is scheming something and I know he needs her for it. Just because of that I know he will not hurt her. He needs her whole until then. What I am most afraid of is... what will happen when he realizes the trap he is setting himself up for? Especially with things the way they are right now."

"Wait a minute," Shouichi paled as he stared at the seated old man in disbelief. "Wh-what do you mean by that?"

Timoteo looked up at him and smiled tiredly. "I think you know more about that than I do."

"M-me?" Shouichi swallowed and clutched at his stomach even as he crouched on the ground in pain. "I-I don't know anything!"

The old man smiled at him kindly before looking up at Brow Nie Jr. who was also looking on at the scene, quite intrigued by their interaction. "Brow Nie, why don't you send for some tea; I think Signor Irie and I have a lot to chat about this morning."

/*****/

Please Review...?


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie Book1: ...Xanxus**

**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie Book1: ...Xanxus**

**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**Tina**: A lovely new reviewer! Thank you for reviewing every single chapter; I am so honored that you like this fic. I'll try to update faster! I can't blame you for being intrigued but all I can say is that I will reveal all in due time! Till then please keep reading and I hope to hear more from you!

**Indyctator**: Please don't apologize; I love long reviews and I loved teh way you pointed out how much you love those chapters! Please keep on enjoying the fic, I am so pleased you are reading this! It makes the whole fic worth writing! Yes, I don't believe Xanxus can admit he had fallen in love at first sight. It would be a struggle through and through but once he finally allows himself, it will be well worth the wait; kufufufufu! Please continue commenting, I am highly honored!

**Skylark-90 :** I'm so sorry! And don't worry about it I was not actually expecting a review! Thank you so much for dropping a line! Please note the fact that my love for you has not changed! ^_^

**killer0meganekko**: O_O You reviewed... k0m, you NEVER review! I've never SEEN you review ANYBODY'S story! I am just speechless right now! I totally miss chatting with you; like I said, real life sucks. -_-;

**KOF-712-B** : OH HO HO~ A Hayato fan! Gosh I can't blame you; I am SO gonna have fun with him when his turn comes! kufufufufu! LOL, I figured those two wouldn't change much even after they grow up! hehehe; pls keep keep on reading! I will do my best to update so your checking will not be futile!

**Chrome paring fan1**: Really? Well not to worry, all will be REVEALED! kufufufu

**sakura yakumoishi** : Thank you so much; please have more ^_^

**MewKew**: Yes she's the cutest! I love me my Chrome and I keep on hoping the next chapters of the manga would show her already!

**Black Diamond07 **: Well here you are; more Varia conflict! And more to come! ^_^

**AN: **All I can say is I'm sorry for the long wait and CURSE YOU REAL LIFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE FOR MAKING WORK SO DAMN HECTIC!

And please Enjoy! ^_^v

****Chapter 10****

/*****/

"Welcome back, Boss!"

Xanxus walked straight towards the castle entrance as soon as he got out of the chinook, ignoring the scumbags who had lined up on either side of the Varia headquarters entry way to greet their returning officers who had been away for several days as though none of them existed at all. His thoughts filled with the rage he felt for his foster father at his words.

How dare him.

How _fucking_ dare he?

In love? In _fucking_ love?

Had the old man finally turned fucking senile and decided he wanted an early grave?

Why would he think he was in love with a scumbitch like Chrome Dokuro?

Xanxus was so furious he was ready to go on a rampage.

She was a tool, nothing more. Just a means to an end he would enjoy so much savoring when it was met. And after her use was done he would take great pleasure in kicking her out of his life for good… or until Reborn decides to show up with his Mist Guardian from wherever hell hole they decided to disappear to.

How _dare_ Timoteo assume he had been weakened and brought to his knees by something as insignificant as love? Feelings for a nobody who belonged to the ranks of that _weakling_ Sawada Tsunayoshi?

Except for Lussuria he was sure the rest of his Varia was confused as to why they suddenly left Montalcino as early that following morning. He practically snarled at the glares he kept receiving from the old geezers particularly from the Sun and Cloud Guardians. As usual, Ganauche kept a neutral front when faced with him and if the other guardians felt the same then they hid it quite well. He knew for a fact that Coyote was relieved to see him go.

_Well good fucking riddance to him too_.

But then again he should probably thank the old man for his unwelcome intervention; if it weren't for his absurd deduction then he would have put an end to such a brilliant scheme to hurt Sawada Tsunayoshi by taking advantage of the dumb bitch. The Varia Boss ignored the fact that he was ready to kill Dokuro earlier for her potential to become a weakness to him when he first approached her last night; for a moment he was actually _scared_ of her. _Feared_ her for her potential to get under his skin even though he would rather chew his right arm off than admit that. Thanks to the 9th's idiocy he was reminded yet again of his own superiority. He would take the Vongola Mist Guardian and take advantage of her skills while Mammon was out, disregarding her value as a woman altogether and he would prove to the old fucker that Xanxus would _never_ be taken down by such pathetic emotions.

What he needed to do was take a step back, breath deeply, and assess how he would be able to use Chrome Dokuro's full potential while she was there and dispensable to him. That ability to mesmerize any red blooded man so effortlessly would be a start. That's right, he would start there. Fucking bitch needed to know her place.

That's right.

He was the master of _everything._

Even his own heart!

That fucking bastard calling himself his father doesn't know anything about him.

Figures.

"Whoa, who's that?"

"Is it a woman?"

"It _is_ a woman!"

Xanxus turned towards the chinook despite his better judgment and stared at the sight of Chrome Dokuro being assisted out of the helicopter by both his Storm and Rain Guardians.

Belphegor was on the ground holding her right hand, a mischievous grin spread over his face, relishing the attention while Squalo was yelling at their assembled members while holding her left with unusual care. And the strange woman glided down from the vehicle as gracefully as a landing bird, her face a picture of careful neutrality and calm, the edges of her fur lined cape flowing all around her looking as though nothing could touch her; that nothing could keep her or affect her.

As though she can disappear if she willed it so. As though she did not need to lean on anyone and this was merely a polite way of condescension his men seem to be welcoming.

He fucking hated her for it.

That and the fact that, thinking back to their conversation from last night when he cornered her, she did not even really give him a straight enough answer. He ended up not knowing why she was dead set into doing her best to help his Varia. Was it because of some dark, hidden scheme or just because she plainly wanted to help?

Pfft, like he'll ever believe the latter.

_Everyone_ wanted something; even her. And he was going to find out what that was and dangle it in front of her and watch her drool. It would be the perfect punishment for playing him like a fool like she did last night. In the meantime he would remain professional with her; that way he could have the greatest advantage of surprise.

The manipulative bitch sidetracked him with all her talk lingering with trust and that feigned naiveté. How could he not have seen it? How could he have allowed the wench to play him like that? It was as though she had managed to strip down his guard and gave him an uppercut.

_But then again he_ was_ drunk_, Xanxus excused himself. And he was in his childhood home. Perhaps that atmosphere and those conditions were the reasons why he had acted so oddly to her presence.

Xanxus fought the desire to hold her in his arms and make sure he controlled every move she made. Make sure she wouldn't be able to do as she pleased. Fucking bitch was a mind fuck just _being_ there.

All throughout the flight they spent to get back here she had remained silent while Squalo and the three other stooges more than made up for her lack of noise. She had been seated by the window, looking out as though something was weighing heavily in her mind. As though they stopped existing for her and it pissed him off. He knew because the look in her eyes was different from the blank one she used to have when talking to them about business. He wondered if the old man said something stupid to her. He would have asked only that would have made him look stupid; and he _refused_ to look stupid.

But he couldn't stop himself from staring at her the entire ride and when he noticed they were already about to land but was relieved when he felt no overwhelming urge to ravish her. He was so happy he kicked Levi out of the helicopter. This proved that he was beyond her pathetic presence now that he was no longer within the hideously warm, loving walls of Timoteo's Montalcino mansion and for that he decided to let things lie as they are. She was just another shitty subordinate who merely depended on his charity. Another disposable minion.

She moved her hands from his officers' hold and her Vongola ring glinted under the sunlight, gathering attention to it as she followed the rest of their party into the castle but serving only to mock him about what he had failed to achieve.

The symbol of the Vongola throne that had rejected him.

"Hey, that isn't a Varia ring!"

"It's Vongola…! So she's…"

"The Vongola Mist Guardian?"

"Mammon's stand in?"

"The _fuck…?"_

Xanxus turned away from the commotion, intent on reaching his receiving room and relax on his chair while listening to his subordinates' reports of what happened while they were away since he knew the fucking shark would have hounded him if he didn't take care of that first. Not that he couldn't kill Squalo for it but the shark had his uses. Levi, as usual, followed behind him like the faithful hound that he was. Moments later, his officers gathered around him as he lounged in the familiar, ornate seat reserved for him as Boss of the Varia inside their castle.

"It's nice to be back," he heard Bel say from his left. "Ushishishishi… I've been missing my practice dummies."

More than a dozen new recruits and even more of the rather old ones paled at the sight of Belphegor playing with his knives even as the blond peered at them with predatory malice accompanied by the rest of their officers following after their boss, impervious to the seething thoughts in Xanxus' head. Most of the members of the Varia stood around, straight backed and petrified in attention although their male eyes drank in the figure of the Vongola Mist Guardian who stood silently beside Squalo who stood to his right, her eye downcast, fur lined cloak hiding her figure though with her hood down leaving her also eerily exposed and her face neutral. Always neutral. Coupled with that sadness held behind that damned, beautiful amethyst eye. Beautiful and cold like a goddamned statue.

"Now, now, Bel; we just got back, don't go making more work for me!" Lussuria tutted at the younger officer with his pinky sticking out from the hand tucked delicately under his very manly chin from Dokuro's right.

"VOIIII! FUCKING SCUMBAGS, YOU BETTER NOT HAVE DONE ANYTHING STUPID WHILE WE'RE AWAY!"

"Report, trash." Xanxus grunted, not having the patience to deal with the idiots right now.

Levi nodded from his left and stepped down a bit from the dais his chair was on.

"Levi Lightning Squad! Step forward!" Three men of rather lanky builds stepped forward and knelt on one knee in front of the Varia Lightning Guardian who smugly addressed his team. "Report."

"Yes, sir," Uno started, his head lowered. "While you were away, the enemy had attempted to approach the headquarters to take over and arrest our members."

Squalo stomped over to where the kneeling man was and waved his sword around, demanding an answer. "Voi! Continue!"

"Yes, sir," Uno nodded before starting again. "We were unsure as to how to proceed so there was chaos in the base for a while."

_"Idiots!"_ Levi growled at the man and kicked him away from himself. "When the base if threatened then the only way to react is to defend it with your lives! How dare you shame Xanxus-sama!"

Uno winced, got up and spat out blood from his mouth before answering again. "Y-yes, sir, we were ready to do just that. However… we were being surrounded by the Italian military."

This news made Xanxus stop and open his eyes to glance at the subordinate reporting. All the other officers turned to Levi's first officer with intense concentration.

The man continued when none of his commanding officers spoke again. "They demanded we surrender or face war with the government so we were unsure as to what we should do but..."

"But?"

"SPEAK UP, TRASH!"

"Squ-chan, let him talk~!"

Uno nodded before picking up his report. "But reinforcements from the 9th arrived and fended them off."

"_And you allowed them?_" Levi was livid; picking up his first officer by the front of his Varia coat and held him up the air with one arm even as furious veins popped all over his head. "How DARE you? How dare you sully your position as a member of the Levi Lightning Squad and Varia by letting others fight your battles for you?"

"W-we didn't...!" the Varia member gasped. "The 9th's men didn't fight either...! They came in and threatened to sue the Italian government for defying human rights and trespassing!"

Xanxus and all his officers blinked at the words, confused.

"...Say what now?"

"They said they were lawyers hired by the Vongola and that they came here under the 9th's orders to help us!"

The Varia officers glanced at each other in disbelief.

"It's true, Commander!" another Varia member spoke up, his eyes glistening with gratefulness and pride as he gazed at Squalo. "It's all thanks to you, sir! I knew you wouldn't ever forsake us!"

But Xanxus knew where those reinforcements came from.

He sharply turned dilated eyes at Chrome Dokuro who seemed to be lost in thought and unaffected by the news. News that any of his officers would have fiercely gloated over after being called wrong by the others the way she was treated yesterday when they learned why she had been working for Timoteo and his Guardians. He noticed his other officers glancing at the woman as though waiting for her to do what they were expecting but they got nothing at all and seemed to have decided to let it be. He, on the other hand, was furious.

Was she really that eager to make him angry? Did she realize just what kind of humiliation he was now in in front of his shitty officers?

"What are you idiots talking about?" Belphegor cocked his head to the side in confusion even as he tossed his knives in the air, catching them with one hand. "What would make you think we would send any reinforcements for _you_?"

"W-weren't you the one who sent them, sir?" the faceless recruit asked, his smile freezing under such malicious regard.

Squalo turned to look at Dokuro again who seemed to be fidgeting. Obviuosly she was nto oblivious to the stares she was being subjected to. When she finally looked up at the assembly, her gaze was uncertain and she flinched a little when she saw the bright red anger on Xanxus' face.

_She should be_, Xanxus growled mentally. Because right now, he wanted to skin her alive. He didn't care if she didn't mean it, the way she was acting was really pissing him off.

The shark must be waiting for her to take the credit. Fucking shark must have forgotten whose guardian the woman was if he was still wondering why she did what she did. It got on their nerves badly when the silence stretched in the room. It ended when she finally spoke up and turned her attention on the recruit.

"Excuse me…?" Xanxus' eyes now turned towards the slender figure of current Mist Guardian as she stepped a little towards the recruit who spoke out of turn. "Was the COMSUBIN involved in the attack?"

The Varia members blinked at her and glanced at each other even as they tried their best to glare her down.

The Varia Boss noticed Squalo giving her a look of confusion before the shark started yelling. "VOI! DIDN'T YOU HEAR HER ASK A QUESTION, SCUMBAGS? ARE YOU _THAT_ RETARDED YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HER?"

The men flinched and complied with the order. "N-no, they weren't. None of them were from the elite."

Chrome nodded at this then turned her thoughts inward again. "I see."

Xanxus scowled. It damned irritated him when someone knew more than he did. It was like living with the fucking 9th all over again. He wanted to tear her brain open and find out what she was thinking so she wouldn't be such a fucking mystery.

Suddenly, Timoteo's question rang in his mind and made him mentally wince.

_'Are you in love with her…?'_

Fuck him. He wanted to tear her apart because he was merely curious, that was all; not because he had fucking feelings for her; God forbid. The 9th was simply a fuck mothering idiot.

"Was there anything else that happened while we're away~?" Lussuria sang out, batting his eyelashes at their members at the question.

"N-nothing else, Lussuria-nee!" the men stammered.

"Then wait for your fucking orders until I can get the paperwork done; DISMISSED, YOU FUCKING PIECES OF TRASH!" Squalo yelled at them and the men quickly dispersed; most of them still glancing in speculation of the female Mist Guardian left behind with their officers.

As soon as the minions were out of the room and the door was closed, Xanxus stood up and was snarling in her direction angrily. And though he didn't take a step towards her, everyone in the room could feel his wrath.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" the Varia boss growled quietly at her, his husky voice, damaged from a long love affair with alcohol bristling her skin like a rough skinned whip.

Dokuro hung her head, seemingly afraid to meet his eyes. "It was only a possibility I didn't want to risk at that time. I thought it would have been too dangerous to assume they were going to be safe from that kind of atta—"

"THEN WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING?"

She looked up at him and he saw her eyes widen before she hung her head in… guilt. Guilt and not fear. And a touch of helpless confusion that told him that she didn't quite know why he was angry. "I'm sorry, Xanxus-sama."

Now Xanxus was no fool. He appreciated guts. Prized it even. Hell, if his Varia didn't _have_ guts he'd have shot them dead already. It's just that he can never tell if this woman really was brave or stupid or just had suicidal tendencies by displaying such fragility in his presence.

"Look, Dokuro," Squalo interjected while Xanxus seethed. "I don't know how you brats run things in HQ but here you don't do anything without reporting it first to either me or the boss; you got that?"

She looked up and her face was openly contrite. And again Xanxus was at a loss whether or not she was sincere or not. Where the fuck was the Vongola Hyper Intuition when he needed it?

"I understand." She quietly answered with a slight nod of the head.

Lussuria came to her side and peered at her face. "Ara? Aren't you used to reporting your actions back in HQ, Chrome-chan? I thought with that prude Gokudera at the helm of administration he would require it of all the other Guardians."

Again her cheeks turned red, Xanxus gritted his teeth. What the _hell_ was she blushing about?

"Ah, no, it's just…" she pursed her lips and tried again. "Hayato and the Boss are always busy that sometimes they overlook certain details… I am of the habit of taking care of those details so they wouldn't have to worry about it while they and the others take care of the more important things."

This information stopped Xanxus and his officers up short.

It was true that they were so preoccupied about their Dying Will Flames being dowsed by that damned group that they had not been able to look at anything else. None of them would have thought about covering the base at the state they were in because it wasn't part of their strategy to do defense. The Varia was always on the offensive.

But then again, Varia had never really been a target because no one was insane enough to willingly cross them. Dokuro just literrally saved their hides this time. If it weren't for her there wouldn't be a Varia Headquarters to return to. This level of foresight and responsibility of hers was _not_ included in the information docket they had of her. Then again, that well kept file in Squalo's office was as thin as the folder itself so there was no reason for them to really doubt it.

Until now.

Xanxus narrowed his eyes at her.

When Reborn said she was a vital part of Vongola and Tsunayoshi would fight to keep her by his side, could this be what he meant?

If she was then she should be at the top of the executive totem pole and privy to all the information within the Vongola Decimo's administration. If it were him then he would surely find it difficult to part with such a resourceful subordinate himself.

Then why the hell was she here? And why the hell was Reborn isolating her from that wimpy Tsunayoshi? Was this another lesson the Arcobaleno was trying to teach the fool? If so then he might have a bigger trump card in Dokuro then he thought he had.

The thought restored Xanxus' good mood immensely.

Glancing at his officers, Xanxus could see that they were probably wondering about the same thing.

He shot Squalo a look which his second in command answered with a short nod. The shitty shark would be working a lot more diligently on Chrome Dokuro's profile after this. He'd better or he'll pull at that ridiculously long hair of his until his worthless brain came out and find out exactly why she was being isolated from the Vongola.

"By the way, Chrome-chan, why did you suddenly ask about COMSUBIN?" Belphegor suddenly asked with a curious tilt of his head. "You're smelling a conspiracy going on, aren't you?"

This perked Xanxus' interest further but he said nothing.

"It was nothing," the woman replied quietly, seemingly still contrite about her breaching Varia protocol. "I just wasn't sure how deep the influence of La Justicia Pasada in this country was."

"Wait a minute," Squalo straightened and Xanxus scowled, waiting for an explanation. "Is that the reason why you had the 9th send those lawyers here?"

"What the fuck are you guys talking about?" Levi pouted that should have been cute but only made his face look much more menacing.

"Shishishi... So you think there's someone in the Italian government who thinks it's smart to go against the Vongola Independent Assasination Squad, huh?"

The Varia Boss blinked. Of course, why didn't he think of that possibility? Wait, of course. He was distracted by _her_.

"Trinidad is a politician," Chrome nodded towards the Prince the Ripper. "I wouldn't be surprised if he had other connections outside Spain."

"In ITALY?" Levi's eyes widened like saucers as their discussion finally cut through his head. "I call bullshit on that; we practically OWN this country!"

"So how do you explain the fact that someone actually had the balls to try and sic the Italian army on us, Perverted Afro Freak?" Belphegor would have rolled his eyes underneath his bangs at the Varia Lightning Guardian if it weren't for the fact that it was highly undignified. "Shishishi... Really, Levi, it must be difficult to find your brain underneath all that hair."

"Shut up, Bel!"

Xanxus' mind rolled with the possibilities. Her reasoning was not at all without merit. He could see Squalo thinking the same thing as the shark crossed his arms over his chest and scowled back at the female Mist Guardian.

"If that's true," his silver haired strategist began; displeased with the conclusions they were reaching. "Then we're probably looking for someone unimportant enough to not be worth the Vongola's attention but powerful enough to warrant some credibility. It mustn't be much if he can't mobilize the COMSUBIN for an operation against us."

"It's a question of influence," Chrome agreed quietly, her voice still as soft as a cotton blanket. "There are positions in the government given to people who obviously wants more power but aren't popular enough to garner more support. If they believe in Trinidad's cause then it is also possible that they think they are being righteous by persecuting us. And with the way Trinidad wishes to publicize the Vongola's and Xanxus-sama's reputation then they may be thinking they can achieve that popularity they need if they appear to be championing the civilians. All in all, if we leave this alone, it could be dangerous."

"Yeah, I know, I know," Squalo rubbed his good hand down his face in irritation. "Fucking hell, I'll never get rid of that paperwork now."

"It's fine; I handle it," everyone turned to look at the woman at her offer. She blushed but remained where she was, unflinching and her gaze straight. It was as though she didn't even realize she was blushing. "It's important that our operations be as unaffected as possible. If anyone thinks there's anything different in the Varia's daily operations other parties might think the Vongola is currently in chaos and take advantage of our position."

"Hey, don't go showing off in front of the Boss!" Levi seethed in envy at the attention the woman was receiving. "Me and my Levi Lightning Squad can investigate and take down that bastard without any problems!"

"Shishishi... sorry, Pervert, but I don't think that's a job for a guy who can't even find his common sense."

"YOU WANNA DIE, BEL?"

"Shishishishi..." the blond prince took out his knives. "After you, old man."

"Come now, boys, not in the receiving area!" Lussuria groaned in exasperation. "We just came back; don't make me run around mopping up your blood off the floor again!"

"We have minions to do that, Lussu." Squalo sweat dropped.

"Oh NO!" Lussuria looked like he had just suggested they all wear panties. "The last time I allowed those oafs to clean up an area we ended up having a hovel! I had to commission a new decorating crew to fix up the dining hall after that and I am NOT going through our budget for that again. Mammon would absolutely KILL me!"

"I-if it's alright with you, Captain Levi," Dokuro's sweet voice cut through the rough voices of rowdy men like the soft petal of a rose falling through the air. "I am only doing reconnaissance and investigation. Once I find out who it is you can use your squad to eliminate him if you want."

"That's not safe," Bel frowned. "Not with a guy who can't even get his own head out of his own ass."

"GRRR!"

"But Captain Levi's Squad has always had the highest success rate in accomplishing hits like this," Chrome calmly continued, ignoring the prince's baiting and successfully grabbing the Lightning Guardian's attention. "If anyone can do it, then he can."

Xanxus scowled at her but thought about what she said. He also noted how all eyes had turned to him. Fuck, as usual they would leave him with the final decision. Morons. "Fine; do that, Levi."

Levi's head whipped towards Xanxus with such speed it probably gave him whiplash and the way the bastard kept staring at him with such sparkly, adoring eyes made the Varia boss inwardly shudder. He wanted to borrow Bel's knives and stick them in the idiot's eyes.

Levi, however, doesn't seem to notice how irritated his beloved Boss was becoming. "BoooooOOOSS~! Y-you would trust me so much? You have that much faith in me?"

"Fuck off..." Xanxus muttered, a vein popping in his temple.

But Levi didn't seem to hear him; the man was on cloud nine. "Don't worry, Boss~! I, Levi A Than, swear that I will not fail you!"

"I need a fucking drink." Xanxus gritted as he resisted the urge to shoot his lapdog in the head while Squalo and his other officers looked on in amusement.

This also seemed to satisfy Dokuro because when his eyes returned to her face she had a slight smile that made it hard for him to look away. Unbelievably, she met his crimson glare with her soft violet gaze and nodded to him slightly before turning on her heel and practically glided away.

"Hey, you!" he growled after her, wanting to grab her by the shoulder and stop her but instead settled on trapping his right hand under his chin as he slumped back on his chair. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

She stopped only long enough to throw him a glance from over her shoulder and give him a short answer. "I'm going out."

"Hey, I'm coming too!" Bel called out, starting to follow her but she continued walking away.

"No need," she merely answered, her firm, nonchalant voice stopping the blond from moving any closer to her. "I can do this alone."

Xanxus frowned and so did the blond prince. Her casual dismissal of them both was a cold declaration.

She didn't need them.

How can someone who risked everything not care about the people she was risking herself for?

Wait a minute…

Isn't she acting just like them? The only difference was that, while him and Varia were violent, she was unfailingly indifferent.

Damn it.

"HEEYYYY!" Levi yelled after her but she was already gone. "How dare you disrespect the boss? _Come back here_!"

But she was already gone, leaving behind the faint scent of jasmines in the air.

Dammit, if she didn't care then he didn't care either! Fuck her.

He had a date with Lady Tequila tonight.

At least that particular female was easy to acquire and easy to understand. He would teach Dokuro how to properly respect him but he was pricked by the knowledge that, although she was doing her duty by them, it does not change the fact that she was not _one of them_.

She probably understands that all too well and was distancing herself appropriately. Hell, she probably felt his anger all this while and just pretended not to see so she wouldn't make a big drama out of it. The little bitch.

Well two could play this game.

But then, judging from the displeased expression on Belphegor's face, the irritated scowl on Squalo's mouth and Lussuria's pouting he figured it would be hard for his Varia not to get attached to her. They were murderous bastards and twisted by nature but his officers were also oddly affectionate. Like a bunch of baby hyenas.

Xanxus grimaced at that mentally. He certainly didn't take the time to include his shitty officers in his planning when it came to Sawada. Oh well; they'll just have to fucking live with it. If they got too fond of Dokuro then it would be their fault for letting themselves get attached to a temporary fixture. Squalo, of all people should know the reason why he agreed to keep Dokuro here in the first place and he was not changing his plans for the sake of his pansy eating executive officers. As far as he was concerned, they can all go to hell.

Now how to deal with their annoying whining when Dokuro finally serves her purpose?

He better find his ear plugs.

/*****/

Please be kind and REVIEW?


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**AN**: Don't expect regular updates.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Tina****: **So many thank yous for the review; you have made me so happy and eager to write more; so sorry I have been so busy. I totally agree that Chrome should have more panel time with the boys at KHR. For me, it seems she is entirely too isolated from the other Guardians and barely gets any scenes where she dominates. It's SEXIST I tell you! But then again this is a shounen so what the hey; can't stop me from dreaming, right? And yeah, I wanted them to slowly need her so Xanxus' hormones can have time to develop, kufufufufu; please enjoy this new chapter.

**deadly-chronicles****: **My dear, you know you have my heart whether or not you review… it's just that I have fun whenever you post a comment and tell me what you think about the chapters! ^_^; your insight is always inspiring and makes me feel like a better author. Yes, I'm actually excited to reveal what happened back at the Vongola but I need to cover some important ground about the story she I won't hit a wall here; hope you can take the time again to tell me what you think of my chapters and I pray I get to have more free time to write this story. -_-;

**AN:** Did you guys know that I actually get ill tempered whenever I can't add at least a page in my stories? Heh, I didn't know that…

Anyway…

**Please Enjoy! ^_^v**

**Chapter 11: **

Spanner was in the middle of research when the familiar form of a certain bespectacled scientist came through the door of his personal quarters and smiled at him tiredly.

_"Shouichi!"_

The redhead almost toppled over as soon as he was assaulted by Spanner's rather enthusiastic hug but he smiled and returned the taller man's embrace anyway.

"I'm back."

"What happened?" the blond mechanic pulled back and looked him in the eye, his aquamarine ones radiating their concern and his new milk melon flavored lollipop stick hanging out of his mouth. "I've been so worried since Chrome called looking for you!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Shouichi nodded. "I'll tell you all about it later. In the meantime, I need to talk to Hayato."

Spanner was taken aback by this announcement. "Hayato? But Chrome said–"

"I know what Chrome said, Spanner," Irie sighed, clutching his stomach and wincing. "I was told to let the rest of the Vongola family know that I was rescued by Varia. No more, no less."

"But what about _her_?" Spanner asked with a frown, his eyes gaining a new fount of concern. "Isn't she going to come back? What if they ask us where she is, what do we tell them? What do we tell _him_?"

"Well then it's a good thing we're merely lowly tech people who don't mingle with the Vongola much," Shouichi looked up at his partner wryly. "It'll save us a boatload of inquiries. By the way, Chrome said she asked you to do some research on those stealth microchips."

"Yeah," the blond nodded even as he let go of Shouichi and approached his work table. The fact that the blond mechanic had left what he was working on spoke volumes of how high he had held the bespectacled genius in his regard. "Look at this."

Shouichi came closer and watched as Spanner took a microchip between a pair of tweezers and attached it on a foot long model of a Mosca. The moment the Mosca model mobilized and held the chip in between its hands, Spanner's fingers danced across his keyboard beside it and the little robot suddenly disappeared.

"Shoot." Shouichi couldn't help but exclaim. What Chrome said was all true.

"That's not all." Spanner adjusted a few things on his computer monitor with his mouse before typing in a series of commands and suddenly picking up a can of hair spray he released on the direction of the Mosca.

Shouichi's eyes couldn't help but widen his eyes at the sight of the previously invisible Mosca now vaguely visible through the chemical mist. It was now walking towards Spanner's keyboard. Shouichi watched as, instead of stepping on the pad, the Mosca merely waded through the contraption of plastic and wires with no problem.

"Double shoot," he managed to whisper in horror. "So it _can_ walk through walls?"

"This is the new model she managed to retrieve from when that group attacked Varia," Spanner nodded. "Pretty neat, huh?"

"I'll say, but what does it make it tick?"

"Apparently it reacts to some sort of technology since it doesn't respond to special stuff like Dying Will Flames or illusions. I'm still in the middle of studying it."

"That's pretty dangerous," Shouichi bit the tip of his thumbnail in trepidation. "This means any ordinary person can use this technology. But that's fine."

"Huh?" Spanner raised his brows at his partner at the comment. "What do you mean?"

Shouichi smiled back. "It only means it'll be easy to find out how to counteract it."

The blond rolled his eyes at him. "If it's so easy then why the hell don't I know how to do it yet?"

"I'm not doubting or belittling you," Shouichi smiled at the taller man reassuringly. "But with all the advanced technology we've been playing with, it's sometimes hard for us to think back to when it's all simple."

Spanner frowned thoughtfully at this. It was true that he had been thinking in quite a complicated way and has only recently figured out how to be able to observe the Mosca while in invisible form to see if it really can walk through solid objects. Perhaps Shouichi had a point.

"Alright," he finally said. "Say we do need a simple perspective on this angle, where do you want us to start?"

Shouichi was already on the floor hooking up another computer to the little model Mosca to get started on his own research. "We'll find it when we see it; don't worry. In the meantime, I'd like to report to Hayato when we see him."

"Hm." Spanner nibbled on his candy as he sat beside his partner, watching him from the corner of his eye. "You're in a hurry."

Shouichi barely spared him a glance. "It's a personal request from Chrome that we hurry up and find out how to counteract this weapon."

The Mosca developer placed his fingers around his chin in thought. "She _did_ say something like that the last time we talked. I've been cooped up in here with that ever since."

"She never asks us to do anything for her," Shouichi commented, looking at the taller man with a wry smirk. "Usually it's _us_ that ask _her_ favors."

"Hey, that research on her Flames and how to make her illusions much more concrete without exhausting her was done for her best interests as well," Spanner replied with a defensive frown. "We were doing it to _help_ her."

"Oh trust me, Spanner," Shouichi shook his head as he bent all his attention on the monitor before him now officially coming to life. "From what I saw these past few days, she didn't need it."

/*****/

"Hello, who is this?"

"VOI, Bronco, about time you picked up the phone!"

"Erm... I'm sorry, Dino Cavallone is not here right now; please try your call later."

"Dino, don't you _dare-"_

BEEEEEEEEEEPPPP!

Dino handed his now very dead mobile phone to Romario before nervously backing away from his windows as though expecting a sniper to aim for his head at any second. "Just take messages. And if he calls again, tell him I'm not here."

"Yes, Boss."

Meanwhile, in the Varia headquarters…

"What the- _Not again_! FUCKING BRONCOOOOO! YOU'LL PAY, DAMMIT! GRRR!"

/*****/

Lambo Bovino blinked and took out his vibrating phone, his arm around one of the many beautiful ladies he had been partying with that night.

Looking at the caller id he didn't recognize the number. Thinking it was one of his dates going to tell him to wait for him at that noisy club that night, he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"VOOOIII! STUPID COW!"

Lambo flinched. He couldn't believe Squalo could overpower the noise of a club party in full swing and with the best sound system money had to offer with his voice. "Um, h-hey, Squalo."

"BRAT! I HAVE A QUESTION!"

"Um, what about?"

"About Chrome Dokuro and if you hang the phone up on me I'll-"

"BZZZZTTT! Uh oh, sorry, Squalo, I think you're breaking up! BZZTTTT! Oh no! My battery's dying! BZZZTT! I'm gonna talk... BZZZZTTTT... to... ZZZTT... later! BYE!"

Lambo turned the phone off and resolved to change his number first thing in the morning. It would also be better if he recorded that number so he could watch out if Squalo calls him again. He'd also have to call I-pin and tell her Varia was asking about Chrome.

Tch, what a pain.

/*****/

_"EXTREEEEEEEMMMEEEEE!_ This is Sasagawa Ryohei, I'm not available right now but just leave me your message and I will EXTREMELY get back to you later!"

Squalo's eye twitched at that.

The fuck...?

Who the hell records a yell on their cellphone voicemail?

The silver haired shark ignored the fact his own voicemail had his own version of this message and made a note in his organizer never to dial that number again.

/*****/

Kusakabe Tetsuya hurriedly picked up the cellphone from the table before Hibari Kyouya could reduce the poor thing into smithereens with the full force of his glare. The noise had scared Hibird off Kyouya's head and was now outside the tatami room where the Cloud Guardian was doing his paperwork.

"Hello? Hibari Kyouya's cellphone."

"VOI! HIBARI!"

Tetsuya covered the phone's mouth piece and discreetly informed his boss who was calling. "It's Squalo-san, Kyo-san."

"I know, I can hear him; what does he _want?"_ Kyouya replied indifferently even as he continued to do his paperwork.

"Yes, Squalo-san, may I know what you wanted?"

"Information!"

"About what?"

"Chrome Dokuro, asshole, _now get Hibari on the fucking phone_!"

Squalo heard the halt of all activity and the rather eerie silence on the other line before Hibari Kyouya himself came on the line. "And what would you like to know about our Mist Guardian, Superbi Squalo?"

Squalo twitched at the superior way the skylark was addressing him but decided to ignore it just this once. There were many ways to cook a bird. "Anything. _Everything_. Like why Reborn is fostering her around the place like a homeless kitten."

Kyouya's frown reached through the line and into Squalo's mind. He could feel the Cloud Guardian's displeasure and confusion which was- of course- the reason for said feelings of displeasure. "Chrome Dokuro is away on a special mission for Sawada; this was communicated to all the Guardians who had bothered to ask of her whereabouts. I fail to understand how this is a concern to you, however. Since when have you ever had an interest with our Mist Guardian?"

"…So in other words, you don't know either?"

"…."

"Bye, Hibari."

The line went dead and Kyouya narrowed his eyes at his mobile phone; his sharp mind doing spirals a mile a minute.

"Is everything alright, Kyo-san?" Tetsuya asked in mild concern.

The skylark's frown deepened. "Kusakabe."

"Yes, sir?"

"Get me Italy on the phone."

"…Right away, Kyo-san."

Kyouya sat back in his chair and alowed Hibird to come back to rest on his head, thinking. He could not help but be curious at the sudden interest the Varia was expressing for the quiet woman he knew Chrome Dokuro was. He had not heard from her in over a year now and had only managed to see her last during Sawada's 24th birthday when all the Guardians were summoned in Italy.

He decided to look into it. It didn't hurt to make sure the naive little omnivore had not dived head on into trouble; Or that trouble had decided to follow her around. From the rumors he had been hearing lately, the latter may be more than possible. He should check.

He owed her one, after all.

/*****/

"VRAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIITTT!"

Yamamoto Takeshi winced but smiled as soon as he managed to get back his hearing at the all familiar greeting from his cellular phone. "Oh hi, Squalo, this is a surprise! You never call me."

"VOI, brat… you better be training your ass off!" the silver haired man growled through the receiver.

Takeshi laughed. "Of course I am. In fact, my team is going to the World Baseball Classic and we're planning to make Japan champions again next year!"

Squalo did a face palm on the other line. "_Not about your fucking baseball, you idiot!_"

The Vongola Rain Guardian laughed again on the other line before sobering up. "Don't worry, Squalo, I can still keep up with our sparring sessions when you need it."

"VOOOI! THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

"It's the only thing I can give you right now, I'm afraid."

"Fuck you!"

"Ahahahaha!"

"Anyway, I'm calling about another matter."

"Eh?" Takeshi blinked at his cellphone before speaking again. "What about?"

"I know it's a long shot and I'm probably wasting my time here since you hardly come to head quarters anyway but I'm getting desperate and the fucking Bronco isn't answering my calls; so is there something you can tell me about Chrome Dokuro?"

"Chrome?" the Japanese baseball player, sometimes Mafioso blinked. "What about her?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT ABOUT HER?" Squalo screamed into the phone making Takeshi wince and hold his own phone away from his ear again to avoid further damage to his eardrums. People around him started staring at him, clearly hearing Squalo's side of the conversation. "ISN'T SHE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE VONGOLA? HOW CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HER SO DISMISSIVELY?"

"H-hey, Squalo, phone conversations are supposed to be _private_."

"FUCK YOU, ANSWER MY DAMN QUESTION!"

"Just what exactly do you want to know?" the Vongola Rain Guardian waved apologetically at several passersby who shot him glares when they heard Squalo's rough language and decided to take this conversation in his ceramic cobalt blue Maybach 57S. He set the phone in his car charger and put Squalo on speaker. "And why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

"Everything; and that's none of your damned business."

"That's going to be difficult," Takeshi sighed. "Chrome isn't exactly the open book kind of girl, you know?"

"Voi, how can you not know everything about her when you've been on the same side all these years?"

"Chrome never really hung around with us a lot; she was always with those Kokuyo guys and every time she did get mixed up with this whole Mafia thing it was always Mukuro-sama _this_ and Mukuro-sama _that_. I can tell you right now she's not a willing conversationalist even with that topic on hand, either." Takeshi started driving off in the streets of Tokyo away from Hanshin Koshien stadium where his baseball team had been holding practice since early that morning. "If it weren't for the fact that I-pin, Sasagawa and Miura befriended her back in middle school while we were in the future, the only person she would have ever really have exchanged more than two words with was Tsuna. She huddles off to the edge of the group when we come together so much that we tend not to notice her that well; she's almost like a shy version of Hibari. Only minus the insane urge to kill everything that moved."

Squalo's brows twitched at that. The personality difference was so far apart he was having problems even thinking it in the same sentence. "Hibari? Hibari Kyouya? Seriously?"

"If you really want to know more about her then the best advice I can give you would be to go directly to Mukuro, ask Hayato," Takeshi breezed through an intersection like a whisper. "Or contact Lal Mirch."

"Lal Mirch? What does that bitch have to do with any of this?"

"Didn't you know? I thought Mammon would have kept a file of that," Takeshi blinked at the road up ahead and stopped at a red light. "Back in high school Mukuro had still refused to take her back so Reborn would send Chrome to Lal for training periodically there in Italy so she can save some rent or something like that; sometimes he sends her off with Sasagawa-senpai when he trains with Colonello. Lal Mirch is Chrome's official combat master."

"WHAT?"

"Yup."

"…..."

"Squalo? Are you still there?"

"Yeah," Squalo replied through gritted teeth, trying to seethe quietly. "Just making a mental note to kill Mammon next time I see him."

"Eh?"

"FUCKING BASTARD WASN'T DOING HIS JOB RIGHT! I SWEAR I'LL FRY THAT BABY INTO A VOLCANO WHEN I SEE HIM!"

Takeshi blinked at that comment but laughed it off as usual even though experience told him the shark would probably follow through on the murderous thought anyway. "Anywho, like I said earlier, you can ask Hayato as well."

"And why should I do that?"

"Because after he was satisfied Tsuna was not going to be assassinated after his 24th birthday last year and everyone was finally allowed to live their own lives again, Chrome was the only one who stayed behind at HQ."

"…Stayed?"

"Yes," Takeshi nodded as he restarted his car after the light turned green. "Hayato discovered she had a talent for organizing paperwork and wanted her to help him around headquarters since he's been getting pretty swamped."

"I see… And what about after that? What has she been doing all those years before?"

"Well now that I think about it… She's been asked to be Sasagawa's bodyguard a number of times but since Sasagawa-senpai keeps his sister close most all the time that doesn't really happen very often. She's also been assigned to guard Miura as well whenever things were getting sticky with the other rival families."

"And when she's not doing that?"

"I don't know."

"….WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'YOU DON'T KNOW'?"

"I… don't know…" Takeshi blinked as though this realization just hit him very hard and he had to slowly put his car to a stop on a safe curb before he could finally speak again. "I guess… I never really bothered to ask."

"The fuck…?" Squalo asked in disbelief on the other line.

"Squalo…" Takeshi fought for the words to speak. "You have to understand that Chrome had always existed on the edges of the Family. Although Mukuro says he hates the Mafia and refuses to acknowledge himself as the rightful Guardian of the Mist for the Vongola, he was still much more a solid figure in the Family's consciousness than Chrome ever was. Because of that she was always just an afterthought in everybody's minds; I guess… that includes me as well.

"Wow..." Takeshi continued in disbelief as he stared at his steering wheel. "Now that I think of it, the only time we've ever noticed she was there was when there was a fight and she needs to be included in the group... Gosh, I feel like an asshole."

"The hell is wrong with you people?" Squalo squawked on the phone. "You guys never worried about her?"

"We didn't have to worry about her because, even if Mukuro wouldn't let her come back to Kokuyo he was still there to watch over her and she had never asked any of us for any help now that I think about it…" Takeshi realized this was starting to really bother him. "It was like... she never really needed us... The only person who even ever noticed her existence at all was... Tsuna."

"...I see."

"I… I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help to you this time."

"Don't sweat it, at least you helped me more than the other retards your Boss calls his Guardians."

"Ahahahahaha."

"Alright. Bye."

"Uh, Squalo?"

"Eh?"

"...Is Chrome in trouble? Is that why you're asking about her?"

Squalo scowled at the other line; he could tell the other Rain Guardian would be unsettled until he was given the chance to rectify the wrong he had just realized he had been doing to someone he had claimed as a friend and decided to issue one of his very rare reassurance speeches. "Not if we can help it."

Takeshi was left with the sound of the dial tone buzzing in his ear.

/*****/

Hayato was sucking the end of a red pen, appreciating the soothing old habit as he read through countless files littering his table when his cellphone rang.

"Hello?"

"Ushishishishishi."

Hayato promptly ended the call with a scowl and a popping vein on his temple.

It rang again though and again he answered since he really didn't have a choice.

"FUCK YOU, BEL, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY PHONE?"

"The Prince was bored and was only trying to figure out who you were calling."

"SQUALO! The Boss won't eat and he's been throwing around stuff and _shooting people again_!"

"THEN GET HIM DRUNK!"

"Shishishi... that sounds smart."

"_You do it, then!_"

"Squ-chan~! We've run out of sugar again!"

"THEN _BUY_ SOME, LUSSU!"

"But we'll be ruining the monthly budget again!"

"OKAY, YOU SON'S OF BITCHES, LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR! IF ALL OF YOU _DO NOT_ CLEAR MY OFFICE IN THREE SECONDS I WILL CUT OFF YOUR COCKS, SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASSES AND KICK YOU IN THE BALLS!"

"But, Squalo-"

"Aaaaaaaand ONE!"

Shuffling and running and even a large _THUMP_ sound resounded on the other line that indicated Levi may have fallen over before a door was finally closed and silence ensued.

Hayato heard the shark take a deep calming breath before his voice came on again.

"Voi! Brat!"

"Yeah? What do you want?" Hayato spoke around his pen with a glare.

"I wanna ask about Chrome Dokuro."

Hayato's eyes widened before taking the phone away from his ear and promptly pressing the End Call button.

It rang again a few seconds later. He decided to answer it in hopes it wasn't any of the Varia.

"Hello?"

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

The Vongola Storm Guardian sighed. He wished he could turn off his cellphone but as the 10th's right hand man he needed to be reached by the Family at all times especially the Boss. "She's none of your business, Squalo, just quit it. Just enjoy the fact you don't have to go through all this stupid paperwork alone while she's there."

"_SHIT HOLE_, YOU ALREADY KNEW SHE'S STAYING WITH US!"

"Visconti told me."

"THAT OLD FAG!"

"Doesn't matter, just keep her there and keep this quiet."

"...And what if I ask Sawada himself about it?"

"I'd like to see you try." Hayato ended the call again and put his phone in his pocket once more.

A moment later, another ringtone sang from inside Hayato's desk drawer. He pulled out a sleek black cellphone and answered the unknown number calling.

"Hello?"

"VOOOOOIII, SAWADAAAA!"

"Can I help you with anything, Squalo?"

"...Gokudera?"

"Yes, Squalo, it's me."

"VOI! WHY THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE SAWADA'S PHONE?"

"Bye bye, Stupid Shark." and he ended the call.

Like hell he was going to let the Varia bother his beloved 10th with questions about that woman.

/*****/

"What? Lal Mirch?" Basil blinked at the phone after answering it. "My apologies but she has gone out tonight. She said she was to meet with someone."

Squalo felt his head about to explode and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb to try and relieve the pain. "So when the HELL is she going to come back?"

"I do not know," Basil shrugged, locking the phone between his chin and shoulder. "However I believe she mentioned something about Chrome wanting to inquire about something."

"She did, did she?" Squalo sighed in irritation before speaking again. "Then I'll call again."

Then he ended the call and sat back tiredly in his chair.

Fuck his life and everything in it.

/*****/

_Of course_ Rokudo Mukuro was not in the phone book.

The bastard probably thought he was too good for it.

Fuck.

What the hell was he going to tell Xanxus now?

/*****/

Please REVIEW...?


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:****Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme:****Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story:****Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**AN**: Don't expect regular updates.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**deadly-chronicles: **LOL, well of course it was meant to be funny; I needed an ice breaker and if you think _you're_ insane then I think reading that chapter would give you an idea about the fact that I'm not quite normal myself. Yamamoto and Squalo? Yes, I needed that kind of highlight between them. Squalo was so much fun to write and I am so happy you enjoyed reading it. I hope I satisfy you with this new chapter as well. By the way, are you feeling alright? I hope so. I am glad you were entertained by my review to Life Of An Introvert; you deserved every word. Heck, I react the same way when I read YOUR reviews in the office as well. I already have the reputation of being weird there lol!

**Jao Jao**: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter; thank you for reviewing! I am so happy to have heard from you again! I hope I won't disappoint anybody with the next chapters.

**CandyRedApple**: I'd love to really; unfortunately there's just too much going on to just make the genre be anything but General; I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter though ^-^v

**BlackAngel'sWrath**: Thanks for dropping me a review again! LOL, I know right? I just kept thinking how Squalo would go around asking for info and these conversations just raped my head.

**kirei. kiri -kumo96**: Oh WOW! I had NO IDEA! You're Tina? I think I just reviewed a story of yours! OMG I can't believe you find me worthy enough to BE reviewed! Thank you so much!

Okay, first, I am not a fast updater; unfortunately, I only update when I can; second, I _love_ the detailed comments you have been leaving me; I truly have been enjoying them. I pray that you will keep on enjoying them as I write this story. Though I think that there other more talented authors out there (**deadly-chronicles, **Chocolate and caramel, Skylark-90, KuraiArcoiris, forthright etc.), I am pleased that this story has caught you fancy.

You're review has got to be one of the most touching ones I have read so far what with you hating on Takeshi and hayato; don't worry, things will get better and hopefully I will be able to write the emotions I wanted to get across and for you readers to be able to feel them too. Thank you so very much and I hope you enjoy this next installment as well.

**Indyctator**: Oh my gosh, I love your long review! They are an absolute JOY to read! It makes me laugh and smile all silly like, he he. And OMG you just compared me to Amano-sensei! (hyperventilates in chair) You have no idea of the honor you are putting me on!

LOL, yeah I figured Levi had to be there somewhere; I swear, half the time Xanxus is so pissed off is probably because of him.

Oh, you're a Mini Mosca and Spanner fan too? LOL Yeah, I couldn't resist putting Mini Mosca there! So cute! I appreciate you taking notice of the Squalo-Takeshi conversation; it was quite an important part of that chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well even though the humor will be quite absent.

**chokolatito19**: Oh my! Please don't go crazy yet; the fun is only starting! Don't you worry, everything will be revealed on Tsuna's birthday and I pray that I can make everything worth it on that day! I am so flattered that this story's plot is making you think; I enjoy writing mysteries so I am glad my point is coming across nicely to you! Thank you for thinking Xanxus' actions are justified and I agree; he would NOT fall in love at first sight instantly. He would fight the feeling tooth and nail before he gives in; the complete opposite of Tsuna. While I hold an equal love for Tsuna, Xanxus has a special place in my heart. Sorry for the short chapter last time; I hope you'll enjoy reading this next installment; until then I will wait for what else you think about the story if you can drop me a review hehe.

Till next time!

**AN: **Why are you guys so awesome?

**Anyway…**

**Please Enjoy! ^_^v**

**Chapter 12:**

"Señor Trinidad, are you sure about this?" a man in a kevlar jacket spoke as he glanced at his leader from the corner of his eye. "That woman you are interested in is part of the Mafia. What could you possibly want with her?"

"Don't you understand?" Cornelio smirked at one of his soldiers even as he read through all the information they could get him on Chrome Dokuro. "That woman has the ability to ravage minds! According to this, even in the Mafia world, this skill is very rare! If we can use her to break Xanxus' mind then our mission is complete! Justice will be _served_ for all the victims of the Mafia in the past! And we will finally hold true with the name of our organization!"

"Sir," another man in the same protective jacket entered the room and addressed him. "So far we have not been able to find Irie Shouichi."

"And Chrome Dokuro?" the gleam of greed in the Spaniard politician's eyes could not be hidden.

"Our sources have confirmed that the Varia have returned to their headquarters; how should we proceed?"

"Perfect!" Cornelio grinned. "That means she should be with them. Take the majority of our forces to the Varia headquarters. Take Chrome Dokuro _alive_!"

"But, sir, aren't you afraid that we are getting too much attention from—"

"I DON'T CARE! GET HER!" Cornelio yelled, an obsessed glint in his eyes.

The man had no other choice but to obey. "Yes, sir!"

/*****/

Rokudo Mukuro's crooked smile strained through the confines of his face even as he threw the dead body of a large Nordic man to the rubble caused by Ken's earlier rampage during his Kong Channel.

Chikusa stood quietly a little behind him and even though his face was as stoic and monotonous as ever there was still an underlying concern hidden deep within his eyes.

It was clear that the information they came here for was not something they were expecting and is now the source of their worries

Suddenly, the vibrating of a phone caught Mukuro's attention and he pulled out the device expecting only one person to be contacting him at this point. "Hello, Fran."

"Hey, Master." the monotone voice of his student came through the phone.

"Well?" the illusionist asked, trying to curb the impatience in his voice. "What have you found out?"

"Sorry, Master, but Chrome-sama is not at the Vongola headquarters anymore," Fran told him, his voice unchanging. "She's not with CEDEF or with Foundation either, thank God for that. I don't know if I would have been able to survive a round with that scary Cloud person."

Mukuro gritted his teeth and bared them restlessly. "Well, Fran, if you do not want me to tie you up and feed you to the Cerberus of Namimori alive then why not tell me where my dear Chrome is?"

"Sorry, Master," Fran answered as though unfazed. "But no one knows, not even the Tuna fish boss. I tried asking him but all he said was that Reborn took her away for a special mission."

"…Oya, oya…" the pineapple headed spell caster muttered in discontent. "How dare the little Decimo send _my_ cute little Chrome away?"

"What's the matter, Master?" Fran asked, his curiosity genuine. "It's not like she hasn't been sent out on one of those before; some of them were spent with you, right? Why do you sound so angry?"

"Because…" Mukuro looked around to see all the dead bodies he had littered his surroundings with before answering the younger man. "I have reason to believe my precious Chrome has gathered herself some severely _unwanted_ attention."

"What makes you think it's all unwanted?" Fran wondered out loud.

"Because, little one," Mukuro smiled into the phone with an expression almost close to fond. "I was once her and she was once me."

"…Poor Chrome-sama."

"I didn't ask for your opinion brat!" Mukuro growled softly into the phone, a vein popping on his temple at his student's smart assed comment before shutting the phone off and started dialing another number. "Now then…"

He waited for the ringing to start and when the phone was finally picked up, he smirked and prepared himself to enjoy the very short conversation.

"Hello, Hibari Kyouya, how are you?"

Chikusa nodded towards Ken who had just come into the now ruined warehouse, finally finished dispatching any threats that had been running outside and both of them listened to their Boss' interesting conversation with the drifting skylark in silence.

/*****/

"You realize, of course, that merely standing around here in the open is not the safest thing to do? Especially to a woman of your position?"

Lal watched her former student turn around calmly from gazing out at the full lights of Venice and face her; her face still as solemn and serene as always. The lights in the city sparkled under the clear yet moonless night; a perfect view from the Leaning Tower Of Greek Orthodox Church where Chrome told her to come.

For her benefit, Chrome gave her a small, honest smile. "Yes, of course I know that, Lal-shishou. By the way, Basil told me you had fun with Colonello-san last night. The proposal had been well done."

"Colonello?" Lal raised a brow at the comment, suddenly suspicious but blushing at the statement. "What are you talking about? Colonello couldn't have been with me last night…"

And then Lal blinked when Chrome's image disappeared into an indigo vapor and left her with nothing but the stillness of the night… At least until Chrome glided from out of the shadows straight from the other side of the room much like a phantom there to haunt her deepest, darkest dreams.

It made Lal proud. "Good work, concealing your presence by laying out an illusion of you in the open and then revealing yourself once you were sure it was me."

"I'd hate to disappoint you, my master." Chrome replied easily.

"Very well," Lal folded her arms over her chest with a smug smirk as she observed her student's appearance. "Looks like you had had a change of wardrobe since I last saw you."

Chrome blinked and blushed seeing as she was still wearing her Varia uniform.

Lal may be projecting calm and coolness at that moment but in truth, she wanted to scream and swear all at the same time. She had never, in her wildest dreams, ever had thought she would see Chrome in a Varia uniform.

"They said it was part of the rules," she heard Chrome tell her in her usual soft, naive voice. "I thought it would be wise to respect those rules. Besides, I would hate to refuse such kindness."

"What kindness? This is _Varia;_ they _screw_ rules!"

"On the contrary, I think they obey the rules more strictly than anyone else," Chrome told her thoughtfully. "It's just that the only rules they obey are Xanxus'."

"And how is _that_ better?" Lal scoffed acidically and then she realized something and her eyes widened. "Are you _living_ with the Varia?"

Chrome blushed and looked down timidly. "Well, Reborn-san said it would be better if I... stayed with them a bit. Besides, with Mammon-san away they really do need an illusionist around."

"So _that's_ his brilliant plan?" Lal growled, her eyes flashing fires of vengeance. "I'm going to KILL that bastard!"

"I'm fine, Lal-shishou," Chrome told her soothingly. "The Varia are not perfect, I admit that... But they are far from fools. They are better than most."

"I can't believe you're actually an illusionist," Lal sighed at her impatiently. "You think too much like the Decimo."

Chrome blushed at the mention of the current Vongola leader and Lal frowned. She knew something had happened; Reborn and Iemitsu had been talking a few months ago but she never really knew what about. When Reborn told her that Chrome would be taken away from HQ she was baffled but her gut knew something unsavory had happened that the Sun Arcobaleno wouldn't tell her. She would have liked to shoot the information out of the hitman but the guilty and resolved look in his eyes made her stop short. Whatever it was that was going on was serious and should be known by as few people as possible.

For the safety of the Family.

"I guess I'll just ask when this is all over," Lal sighed before looking her former student straight in the eye. "So what is this about then? Why did you call me out here?"

"I thought it would be wiser to talk to you without seeing Iemitsu-sama."

Again that intriguing little puzzle. It took a lot of effort for Lal to keep her tongue in check. "...Okay, I guess you're right. What do you need, then?"

"Information," Chrome replies steadily, no less softly. "About the Italian military."

The word of her old affiliation made Lal stand up a little bit straighter and stare at the younger woman harder. "What about it?"

"I am looking for a political figure too menial to be on the Vongola's radar but powerful enough to utilize the army."

The failed Arcobaleno frowned; she found the question odd but chose to be as straightforward as she could. "You're probably looking for someone who has a former military background to have that kind of clout since the only person who has the power to mobilize the army would be the president."

"But the president does not concern himself with matters of the Mafia, does he not?"

"We belong in the underworld," Lal told her. "He does not meddle with us as long as we do not make much of a nuisance of ourselves. Besides that, there are very important political figures in this country that have been placed in their current positions because of their connections to the Vongola. We are an open secret as long as we keep ourselves hidden. This is the reason why the Vongola has the position of the Mist Guardian. Besides that, since Tsunayoshi became Decimo the contributions of the Mafia to the government have actually been constructive rather that _de_structive. They would be fools to think ahout attacking the Mafia _now_."

"I understand that," Chrome nodded once. "But lately, activities out of reach of our intelligence network have been seeping through and into enemy hands."

Lal raised an eyebrow at this. "What do you mean?"

"I am talking about part of the army being dispatched to attack and subdue Varia headquarters not too long ago."

Lal's arms fell to her sides, her eyes wide. "That's _insane_!"

"I've had it reported to the 9th's office; the Decimo should have heard of it by now. You should be getting a heads up about it later."

Now Lal was troubled. Meddling from the government can result in a war with the Mafia if they left all of this alone. Then she remembered something else. "Does this have something to do with that attack Xanxus did to that Spanish politician?"

"I'm not sure yet," Chrome answered. "But that's the reason why I want to find out."

Lal stared at her former student's solemn countenance. Her years training the girl had allowed her a glimpse of how the younger woman's mind worked. If one were honestly interested it was fairly simple to figure out how Chrome thought. So simple, in fact, that it was almost laughable whenever someone commented about not knowing what the one eyed female was thinking. It was surprising how the only ones who can actually read her were the Arcobaleno but then again, they were blessed (or cursed) with long years of life experiences and interaction with others. But even in her long years the only other kind of people who was as simple as Chrome were little children.

Complete, trusting, naïve little children.

And the woman standing before her right now had not changed that attitude after all these years. Improved her skills and mentally matured, of course. No longer as innocent and even before she was initiated into the Mafia, Lal had it on good authority that the girl had long lost her rose tinted glasses somewhere along the line… But the clear, untarnished reflection of her soul was still there.

And this was also the quality which endeared Chrome Dokuro to her heart. "Fine, I'll see what I can get and contact you when I find what you're looking for."

The eye that stared back at her looked worried. "You don't have to, Shishou; I really just wanted some information. I have tried to do it on my own but I can only get to several people on my list for so long before getting noticed."

"It's fine," the former COMSUBIN instructor waved her off. "It should be part of my job anyway; I _am_ a part of CEDEF, after all."

A little bit more of hesitation came from the direction of the Vongola Mist Guardian until Lal threw her hands up in exasperation. "For the love of God, Chrome, it's alright! Haven't you learned anything from me at all?"

Chrome winced at that. "B-but you've always preferred doing things yourself, Shishou… I didn't want to disappoint you."

"It's true that I taught you most everything you know right now," Lal mentally gave herself a mental smack as she remembered how she had tutored the poor girl. "But I was also expecting you to learn from my mistakes."

The younger woman blinked a few times before relaxing and finally nodding to her once. "I understand, Shishou. And thank you."

"Tch, just shut it!" Lal huffed, trying to hide her blush; still unused to such softness after all these years. "Just promise me you'll be careful while you're staying with the Varia. I don't want you getting involved in any of Xanxus' messed up plots."

Lal blinked when she saw Chrome's face soften even further at the mention of Xanxus and his scheming. "Even if I were used by him nothing will change. Until Reborn-san calls me back I am under his command. But I have already made it clear to him that I will side with the group who will prove to be best for Vongola's welfare. While I have nothing against him I believe that he is not the kind of Decimo the Vongola needs in this time of peace the Boss is doing his best to maintain."

Lal winced at her student. She had never understood why but her student had always held the Varia in a different kind of awe from everyone else. To be so fascinated by the dark side of the moon like she did. She wondered if this was a souvenir of Mukuro's perverse nature back when he was still possessing the girl. Either way there was no helping it. Even if Chrome was being maltreated she would never complain no matter who it was as long as they were doing their best for the Family she loved. She had trained Chrome all too well.

Chrome Dokuro was the perfect little shadow trooper.

Lal just thanked whatever god was out there that the girl had never released hold of her humanity.

"Whatever, do what you like; I just have one more thing to say, though," Lal watched Chrome give her the solemnest of attentions. She liked that about the kid; how she absorbed and hungered for knowledge like a sponge. "Be careful. Word around the grapevine is that you're being hunted."

Chrome's good eye widened at this unexpected news. "By who?"

"Apparently you've gotten the attention of some very important people," Lal scowled at this. "Not a lot of people know about this yet but I heard from Iemitsu that people are asking after you. People from very high places."

Lal watched the young woman blink. "Is it Trinidad?"

"We haven't confirmed that yet; right now the 9th is taking care that he be watched but that doesn't mean he doesn't have other people under his employ that can do the job for him," Lal met her eyes. "Your name isn't exactly being displayed out there but they keep on looking for a female illusionist with an eye patch. As we both know, there are not a lot of illusionists who fit that kind of description."

Worry furrowed Chrome's brows. "What about Shouichi? Is he safe?"

Lal sweat dropped before huffing in exasperation. "I just told you someone's hunting you down and all you can do ask is how _Irie Shouichi_ is doing?"

"If it's Trinidad then he would be looking for Shouichi as well," Chrome insisted and Lal again could not believe how oblivious the girl really was. "He was kidnapped with every intention to be used for the improvement of those stealth microchips. He can't fight so he is facing twice more danger than I'm in right now."

"Don't worry, if I know Gokudera Hayato he'd have already taken care of that especially after your report. You asked Irie to speak to him after he arrived at the Vongola HQ, didn't you?"

Chrome nodded once. "Yes, I was worried he might be taken away again."

"That was good because now he's safe and doing research with Spanner deep inside the base. So the one in real danger here is you but..." Lal looked thoughtful for a moment before asking again. "Say, you're not a scientist; so why is Trinidad after you too?"

Chrome frowned and shrugged helplessly. "I'm... not sure. Maybe he's interested in illusionists? He acted like he had never seen one before when we first met."

_"Really...?"_ Lal allowed her eyes to rove over her former student's well proportioned body and decided to keep her own theories to herself for the moment. "Well in any case be careful. Are you heading back to the Varia tonight?"

"Yes but—"

Both of them stopped short when they felt the killing intent suddenly surround them from all sides. Lal took out her Beretta from her left thigh and a Cutlass from her right while Chrome pulled out her trident. They waited, looking sharply around the darkness they were in. Lal felt Chrome wrap her up in some sort of barrier and she had to smile slightly at her student's consideration.

Too much like Sawada. How does she _not_ have any Sky flames?

And then they appeared. She didn't know how; she sensed no Mist flames that could have concealed them but there they were, appearing seemingly out of thin air.

Six. Eight. Ten...

Lal frowned, deciding this could get quickly out of hand too fast too soon; her guard was up like a cornered kitten even as the thought formed.

"Chrome Dokuro." a man who seemed to be leader of this operation came forward. He was dressed in a way Chrome seemed to be familiar with judging from the way she was clutching her trident. "We knew we would eventually find you if we followed one of your acquaintances."

Lal's eyes widened. She was being followed? How could she have not noticed them? This was _impossible!_

"What do you want?" she heard the younger woman ask, her voice calm and hiding a tension Lal could practically smell off her skin.

"Come with us," the man said. "We have orders to take you back to Señor Trinidad alive."

"And if I don't?"

The leader pointed a semi automatic machine gun at Lal. "We kill her."

Lal felt rage boil her blood. How dare this insolent fool _use_ her to threaten Chrome? The failed Arcobaleno stood up straight, smirking murderously at the now tensing men around before, cocking off the safety from her guns. "I'd like to see you try, bastard."

Lal ran forward and was immediately met by a shower of bullets but a lanyard shot from the portable cartridge she carried on her forearm allowed her to gain leverage. She used the suspension of rope to make her run up the walls of the tower and start shooting at the enemy. They started falling down a few at a time.

"HURRY! EVERYONE ON STEALTH MODE!"

_Stealth mode?_

Lal's mental query was answered when the enemy started disappearing again one by one and the bullets seem to be going right through them. She landed on the floor in complete surprise.

"Watch out, Shishou!" Chrome yelled at her; already busy with her own kills. "These were the men who attacked the Varia!"

Lal was about to answer but felt two sets of bodies hold her down on the ground like a pair of linebackers who just caught the rival team's quarterback just before he could make a pass. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, she had not even felt them breathe!

"What the HELL!" Lal swore; struggling under the weight of the two grown men while the others started appearing again around her, their guns all aimed at her head. "DAMN YOU _ALL!"_

"Shishou!" Chrome called to her.

"It would be better if you just surrendered, Chrome Dokuro," the leader told the younger woman again. "If you come with us quietly we won't harm her. We are not like the Mafia, we have honor."

"Oh yeah?" Lal scoffed. "Holding down a woman with two overgrown men? Who are you kidding?"

One of the men holding her down cuffed her on the back of the head so hard she almost lost consciousness.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Chrome started asking, her voice quiet and deceptively soft. "Attacking the Varia and alienating CEDEF... What are you _really_ after?"

"We want only the Mafia to disappear," the leader told her bluntly. "And once we get rid of the Varia then all will go downhill from there for the Mafia."

"You can never defeat the Varia," Chrome answered with such confidence Lal blinked at her words. "How can you stop the night from coming after sunset?"

The leader smirked at her and answered with his own brand of confidence. "Right now, the other half of our forces is already infiltrating the Varia headquarters even as we speak."

"Haven't you learned from your last attack that that is fruitless?"

The leader's face turned grim. "Not if we take out the source of their power first."

Chrome's eye widened. "What do you mean?"

"It would have been better if Señor Irie had remained with us to complete its development but as it stands right now it should be enough to take down even the Varia," the gruff laugh of the man sent chills up Lal's spine. "Tonight is the night the Varia will die helplessly. As ordinary human men."

Lal was puzzled. What was this man blathering about to think they can take on the Vongola's Independent Assassination Squad?

"I will not allow it."

Lal looked up in time to see her student slam the blunt tip of her trident on the ground and made a horde of cobra rain down on the room.

The men who saw them fall started screaming and running around in a panic as they were covered by the animals and amidst all that, Lal had been released. Knowing she would not be harmed by the creatures she ran to her student but, in the middle of the panic, some of the enemy started shooting at the snakes. One of the bullets hit an wall ornament and swerve towards Lal.

"_Lal-shishou_!" she heard Chrome cry out again and before she knew it, Lal found herself shielded by a dark robed figure she later recognized as Chrome.

Her student was hit by a bullet in the leg.

_"Chrome!"_

"I'm fine!" the younger woman gritted her teeth as she used her trident to keep standing up but fell as soon as she managed a few inches off the ground biting her lips in pain. "Something's wrong..."

"What is it?" Lal went to look at her bullet wounds. Blood was pouring out like water from a faucet.

"Th-the bullet..." Chrome gasped a little through gritted teeth. "It burns...!"

Lal swallowed. If these men were the ones who had attacked the Varia then according to Chrome's report they have acquired the knowledge to douse Dying Will Flames... Who knows what else they had in store? "We should get you to the hospital—"

_"No!"_ Chrome's hand shot out and grasped the older woman's arm. "Please, Lal-shishou; help me get back to Varia headquarters..."

"What are you talking about?" Lal practically shrieked at her. "Have you seen yourself? If we leave you untreated you're going to _die!"_

"Please, Master..." Chrome whispered to her through her obvious pain. "I- I know you don't like the Varia but... they're in danger...!"

Lal wanted to protest. She wanted to take Chrome to the hospital and get her treated right away but she knew the younger woman better than that. She would crawl out of that bed if she had to; so strong was her sense of responsibility. Making a decision, the failed Arcobaleno tore off two long pieces of her cloak and tied it around Chrome's wounds making sure no more blood was spilling.

"Fine," she hooked Chrome's right arm over her shoulders and started releasing her lanyard upwards again so the pair seemed like they were flying up towards the roof of the tower leaving the screaming men to their own devices. "I sure hope I won't regret this, Chrome."

The Vongola Mist Guardian said nothing.

/*****/

"Alright, Squ-chan~" Lussuria handed him several papers from the pile in his arm. "These are the papers Chrome-chan left for the annual budget review; she left a post it on it to tell you to read it over and think about expanding the budget to make room for more medical equipment for the men."

Squalo's right eye twitched as he read over the documents and piled them on top of another folder clutched under his arm.

"And these are the current mission folders all organized and done with so all you have to do is assign the men in it; she's also taped a memo pad there to tell you which ones she may have to join," Lussuria grinned widely and the disbelieving look on the Varia Rain Guardian's face. "And look, she even has the maintenance files all in order so all I have to do is send them off to the 9th's office to get the materials we need to do the repairs. Isn't she such a sweet little thing~?"

Squalo pored over the documents in a gape. He couldn't believe everything was done and all he had to do was go over them with a fine tooth comb and start approving them all. "When the hell did she get the chance to do all of this?"

"Ho ho ho, apparently she had been having the men send her the documents over to the Montalcino mansion; she's been working on them on top of the 9th's paperwork since you and Bel were so busy running missions for the 9th to keep Bel from ripping everyone in the place open," Lussuria told him, blushing at the mention of the young woman. "She's something else, isn't she~?"

"I'll say," Squalo looked over the almost finished paperwork and knew it would have taken him weeks to get everything done with all the other things he had had to do around the castle, not to mention the other missions he was supposed to be involved in. Dokuro's foresight just saved him a whole load of trouble. "God, she even took care of the wine and food shipment supplies and the investigation material the Mariano and Grosso families paid us to look into!"

"Uh hmm," Lussuria couldn't seem to stop smiling. "She's like a paperwork ninja, isn't she?"

Xanxus glared at his officers and how they were cooing over the damned sheets of paperwork he wanted nothing more than to burn into the ground. Lussuria and Squalo had always had each other to tame the thousands of documents that ran the Varia in a semblance of order and since the Varia's life had been relatively simple to deal with what with no attempts to invade them or anyone insane enough to directly attack them. However, it seemed that forcing them to go on the defensive was far more costly than just going on the offensive.

It was another reason for him to want to gun Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad down to the ground and yet another reason for him to want to know more about Chrome Dokuro.

She had been gone for three days. It irked Xanxus that he couldn't seem to stop counting. It was as though some sort of interesting light had been snuffed out and he was now dealing with an emptiness that he had always thought he could fill with his rage. Well he still could but for some reason, his rage won't cut it this time. Because he wanted that light back and he wanted it in the palm of his hand to control; that way the light won't go out without his permission.

"Oi, scum," he began to growl, gaining his officers' attentions. "What happened to that information I wanted?"

Squalo winced but reluctantly pulled out a thin folder from inside a black briefcase and threw it in front of his boss' desk where his feet were currently resting on, crossed at the ankles, a bottle and a glass of brandy beside them. Xanxus reached for it and began browsing through the files. As he did so, the shark obliged him by reporting everything else in detail what was not written on the shitty pieces of paper.

"Is this all?" Xanxus scowled sourly at his second in command as he sat languidly in his ornate office chair after listening to the shark's report on the Dokuro woman.

The scarcity of the details was not making him happy.

Squalo winced but held his ground in front of his Boss nevertheless. "I'm _sorry,_ okay? I don't know why but for some reason they all know little to nothing about her! And the ones who look like they do aren't very willing to talk."

"What the _hell_ do you mean...?" Xanxus glared at his second in command murderously. "If they don't want to talk then fucking _make_ them talk, scum; what the _fuck_ is _wrong_ with you?"

"Look, I would like nothing more right now than to find those jerks and split them open for info but I can't; not without getting Sawada involved and not without finishing off the work we've left behind while we were vacationing in Montalcino; Chrome Dokuro will just have to wait."

Xanxus was not happy to hear this and he showed this by throwing his glass of brandy right at the shitty shark's head. Squalo managed to dodge but the bottle soon came following after hitting him square in the forehead instead.

"VOIIIIIIIIII!" Squalo yelled furiously as he clutched his bleeding head with his good hand. "What the FUCK?"

"I AM _DONE_ WAITING!" he yelled back at the silver haired swordsman. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THE MYSTERY AROUND HER AND WHY SHE'S SO FUCKING SPECIAL! FIND OUT WHY SHE'S BEING KICKED AROUND LIKE A GODDAMNED PUPPY SO I CAN FIND OUT HOW BEST TO USE HER AGAINST SAWADA!"

Again Squalo winced. A confused Xanxus was not a happy Xanxus and it was always dangerous to leave such a person in his state of confusion especially when he had no qualms about expressing said displeasure.

"I understand how you feel," the Varia Rain Guardian began, not quite attempting to sooth his leader's temper knowing that would only lead to more thrown objects at his head. "It's pretty irritating but it's as though she doesn't really exist. Don't you think it's strange? It's as though they hardly knew she was still functioning as a member of the Vongola."

Xanxus glared back at him and then almost toppled his chair over by abruptly standing up and looking out the window of his office overlooking the Varia castle's front courtyard, his fists clenched so tightly it was surprising he had not drawn blood yet.

What the fuck was going on?

He knew the Mist was the most mysterious and the most distant of all the elements guarding the Sky but this was just plain ridiculous! How could no one in that family give them a straight answer? Or maybe, perhaps they were covering for something else? But what?

Dammit, all this was getting on his last _nerve_! He had been irritable and quick to temper before but these last few days since he had last seen Chrome Dokuro near him he had been restless. And it wasn't the bored kind of restlessness that could be cured with a bottle of friendly liquor either; it was the kind of restlessness that filled him with an emptiness so void and vacant he can't even muster the strength to be angry to make it go away. It made him lose his legendary appetite and made him start shooting some of his minions randomly. Even Levi was keeping himself away from him.

And he was sure the blame lay at that Dokuro woman's feet.

Because she had not even reported in after going off on that self imposed mission of hers. She didn't even have the _decency_ to call them and let them know about her _situation_!

Now the Varia did not necessarily do such things, Xanxus knew that. He was proud and expected a 100% success rate in all his officers whenever they were sent out for missions and had been smug about the fact that the only time his people contacted headquarters was if they needed back up, which rarely happened. Squalo— although Xanxus would rather die before admitting it out loud— was an excellent strategist and knew how many people and which people to send for missions. Rookies were always sent off on missions with executive officers before they were permitted to handle assignments on their own. Mammon was sent if they needed to cover an assignment up and make things look like they were accidents or done by other Families or set up a frame up.

The fact that Dokuro was sent alone on assignment and that Squalo had not protested told him that the shark knew the bitch knew what she was doing and the fact that she had not called in to ask for back up means that she did not need to.

But it still irked him. Despite his vows of controlling her he still could not deny his desire for her which was alarmingly rising to a state of needing he did _not_ like. He wanted to see her. He wanted to hear the sound of her voice and smell her scent in the air. Besides, how could he control her if she wasn't beside him? Right?

"We only know a handful of things, things she voluntarily offered, anyway," Squalo continued behind him. "How she had contact with Hibari and even trained with him; how she had worked with that shitty Bomb Freak; hell, now, we even know she was trained by Lal Mirch from CEDEF which explains how she managed to get so much better in fighting. But everything else is a total blank. It is as though she had had no life outside the Vongola. No siblings, no family, no lovers… And I'm telling you, that last part is something I find _very_ hard to believe."

Xanxus twitched at that. Of _course_ Squalo would notice; despite the long, girly looking silver hair he was still a man with an eye for beautiful women. Their twisted nature did _not_ make them blind. Dokuro was hot. _Sizzling_ hot. Even _he_ can't deny that fact. Hadn't he noticed that fact since her first day here? The fact that she made no qualms about accepting what they are and what they do without asking for any sort of recognition or acceptance herself only made her _more_ attractive to the Varia. She was an enigma even if she doesn't seem to even realize that herself. No one could understand her, least of all him. Perhaps the only one who could would be Rokudo Mukuro himself or…

"How about Sawada? Have you talked to him?"

Squalo raised a brow at him. His Boss must truly be getting impatient if he was proposing to get information straight from the horse's mouth itself. "Are you serious?"

"So you haven't."

"I tried," the swordsman sighed, giving in. "That Storm Bomb Bastard had his cellphone. It was as though he was _expecting_ me to call and ask Sawada about it. Fucking bastard."

Which meant that the right hand man of that brat knew what was going on in the first place, Xanxus thought, his frustration growing. Whatever it was they were hiding they were hiding it well and with a jealousy that could only be called desperate. But what was it all about? And how did Dokuro figure in the whole matter? Was it really worth all the secrecy?

"I don't think they would go out of their way to hide all of this if it did not involve the well being of the Family," Squalo said, echoing his thoughts like an annoying ear piece. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Xanxus glared back at his second in command. "Do you really have to ask, dipshit?"

Xanxus didn't need to hear the words to know that his Strategy Captain was as curious about what was going on as he was but the silver haired swordsman's pride would never let him admit that out loud. Indeed Squalo was being a lot more dedicated to this investigation than normal and with good reason.

The Varia did not appreciate not knowing things.

As denizens of the darkness, it should be their business to know exactly what _went on_ in that darkness.

Plus, it would help if they knew so they could get Chrome Dokuro out of their _damn_ minds.

Squalo sighed before thinning his lips and glaring back at his boss from underneath his long bangs. "Fine! I'll ask around some more!"

"Do that, trash," Xanxus told him as he turned to fully face his strategy captain from the window. "Do that or I'll pull out all that shitty hair from your head."

In truth he didn't want to wait anymore. He was tired of waiting and he wanted to break the mystery that was Chrome Dokuro _now_. Somehow he had a feeling that once he cracked the question surrounding her then this unreasonable _interest_ in her would waver. But since everyone related to the mater was wrapping that mystery up then he had no choice but to stay still and glare.

Dammit he needed to kill something. He needed to blow something _up_.

Xanxus had barely finished _thinking_ the words when a very close explosion blew up directly outside his window making the Varia boss' eyes widen. The force of the blow shattered the glass of the window he had been looking out of just a few seconds earlier and he felt shards of glass rain on his back. Squalo also looked on in surprise even as his boss slowly turned around after the impact and looked out at the now glassless portal with wide eyes that promised retribution. Outside, where there was supposed to be miles and miles of forest owned by the Varia was a sea of flame and screams in his backyard filled the dead of night.

"BOSS!" Levi came rushing through the door shouting his name. "_We're under attack_!"

Another explosion sounded off outside the window, this time taking out the room beneath Xanxus' office, the impact so strong Squalo had to crouch to avoid losing his footing while Levi unfortunately failed to keep his balance and toppled to the floor.

"Gee, you think?" Squalo sneered at the Varia Lightning Guardian as they started getting up again. Squalo then stomped forward towards the window Xanxus was still standing in front of and yelled at their minions on the ground from beside his quiet, unmoving boss. "VOOI! WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"We're under attack, Commander!" shouted one of the seemingly wounded men down the courtyard.

"CONGRATULATIONS FOR STATING THE OBVIOUS, YOU FUCKING GENIUS, WOULD YOU LIKE AN AWARD?"

Before the minion could answer back, another RPG exploded behind him, scattering everybody from the courtyard.

"Tch, what a pain." Squalo complained as he started moving away from the window.

"Ushishishi..." Bel jumped in from the now broken window, a strained grin on his face. "Looks like someone's about to die tonight~"

"Squ-chan~ what's going _on_?" Lussuria asked in alarm as he held on to the edge of Xanxus' desk to stop himself from being thrown to the ground.

"HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?" Squalo yelled as he dodged part of the collapsing ceiling as another explosion hit them. "DO I LOOK LIKE A FUCKING COMPUTER TO YOU?"

"Initializing sequence. Loading…"

The disembodied voice of a woman filled the room all of a sudden, gathering everyone's attentions. It was the voice of Chrome's security system.

"Synchronizing voice data… Recognizing Superbi Squalo under directive of Chrome Dokuro. Authorization: Finalized," the voice continued much more clearly now even as a glowing, greenish holographic screen appeared before the shark. "Instructions, Commander."

Levi blinked at it before he broke the silence in the room. "Okay, am I the only one creeped out by that right now?"

Squalo, being quick on his feet, decided to take advantage of this. "Alright, Computer, what's attacking us?"

"Analyzing video feed… Feed returned. Visual confirmed." The room was suddenly sporting another holographic screen but this one held an image of the sky above Varia headquarters. At the top was a fair sized blimp dropping bombs on them. "Enemy on sight. Registered under private ownership."

"So who owns it?" the silver haired swordsman growled.

"Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad."

Lussuria gaped. "_Seriously_?"

"Attempt At Communication Being Processed."

"Punch it through." Squalo ordered the program.

Another monitor came up in front of them and with it came the relaxed and smug face of their attacker, his hand casually holding up his chin. "Good evening, Varia. It seems that I have given you all the opportunity to rest. I hope you enjoyed it."

Squalo gritted his teeth and all the Varia officers glared at the screen, even Belphegor's ever present grin was absent as he held his knives in his hands.

Squalo took the lead. "Do you really have a fucking death wish? Bombing us with a private blimp? Do you think the Italian government's gonna let that slide, asshole?"

"What they don't know can't hurt them," Trinidad waved that off flippantly. "Besides, once I destroy all of _you_ then he would probably thank me."

"This guy's is totally getting on my nerves," Levi growled. "Let's blow him up."

"That would be fun ushishishishi…" Bel leered maliciously at the man on the screen. "I can test that 'anatomy lesson' Chrome-chan taught his men when they visited us here last time."

"Please leave some of him behind for me to play with," Lussuria blushed as he wiggled his behind eagerly. "I'm sure he would look _great_ impaled through a pole somewhere~!"

"I would love to stay and play," Trinidad sneered at all of them. "But I came here for a different reason."

Squalo raised a brow at him, wondering what he meant.

The politician must have read the question on their faces because he gave them a superior smirk as he leaned closer to the monitor. "I want Chrome Dokuro."

Each and every one of the Varia officers stiffened at this declaration.

"Hand her over and I will postpone the inevitable and let you all live another—"

He had barely finished the words when a huge _BOOM_ shook the skies outside and when the Varia and Trinidad looked out they saw Xanxus holding out his X-Guns up to the sky with a demonic look of enjoyment flashing in his hellish crimson eyes.

"You've got a great sense of timing, scumbag," they heard him say through the monitor as the computer obeyed Squalo's prompts and gave them a close up of the Varia boss face, his catridges falling out of the handles and were being replaced by new rounds. "I _needed_ to blow something up."

/*****/

Review? Please?


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:****Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme:****Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story:****Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**AN**: Don't expect regular updates.

**AN**: I hate real life right now; it's all so busy that it took me a while to put this chapter together. Good thing about it is that I have managed to make it one of the longest chapters yet so I hope you guys enjoy. ^_^v

I am so tired… =_=;

**Devil-Queen-Wolf-666****:** Goodness, please be okay! It's readers like you who make me want to update sooner lol. I sincerely hope you enjoy this as well**.**

**Tina**: I'm so glad; I hope you found my reviews useful. ^_^; Thank you for your understanding, although I really wish I can update faster, though, I really want to start on the other Books lol.

Whoa! Really? Well then I can't wait what you have to say about this chapter then. I will so look forward to it!

Yeah, I love Fran! I just felt it would be appropriate for him to rag on our resident pineapple head a bit. More on Mukuro later on in the chapters when he finds her, you'll see. ~_^

Kufufufufu… yes, only a select few knows about 'The Secret' and if you go back to chapter one when Reborn left her with Varia the hint of guilt was already there. I can't wait to reveal it! I think Chrome is a much kinder person and has a tendency to be concerned about people close to her; it was stated whenever she was worried about Mukuro, she cried for Yamamoto when he was attacked by Kaoru; I think she's such a sweetie and that more people would write about her!

Well then, Please enjoy this chapter ^_^

**deadly-chronicles****: **Sorry for the delay and the cliffhanger; seriously I wanted to continue but my eyes back then were doing this _. I'm happy I made you excited, though I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

Eh? I make the Varia _hotter_? Come on now, _this_ coming the queen of Varia characterization? Seriously I think you write them way better than I do fufufu.

Yeah, Mukuro has his moments, I still remember the chapter in the manga when they were hanging around in Kokuyo with Verde as his representatives. Totally hilarious. And FRAAAAN! What is not to love?

Now calm down; the mystery will be revealed but I need Xanxus to fall in love with her a bit more; there's his birthday coming up real soon.

I am so relieved you're feeling better and I truly hope this chapter will make you feel even better. After this I promise to read the rest of your stories because one of them caught my eye recently I just didn't have the time to read it. So be prepared mwahahahah!

Please get some sleep after this; we both need it; but don't forget to leave me a review and tell me what you think! I enjoy reading your opinions because you write well and I respect you.

**BlackAngel'sWrath****: **TT_TT I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger, I'll try not to do it again! It's just that I was so tired back then… (sobs) I hope this is worth it, though so please don't kill me!

I respect Lal and I think Colonello would be whoopin some ass if he knew someone touched his girl (watches as Cornelio shrivels up in a corner); yeah he should just thank Chrome for saving Lal's pretty ass. And yes, I cannot think of anyone else more suitable to be Chrome's mentor than Lal. It just seems right since both of them are odd balls of a sort. Pls enjoy this new installment and drop me another comment!

**Indyctator****: **Ah, one of my favorite reviewers… I would love to write that conversation but there are some elements there that would be best if explored in other parts of this project ^_^;

LOL, poor Reborn with you siccing Lal at him; yeah I can't find anyone more suitable as Chrome's mentor. I think they would just fit together and thought that if it weren't for the fact that she was injured after the Melone base attack that she would have been picked to train Chrome. They both fit; the odd ends that belong and yet do not belong in the groups they're in. The can understand each other hat way. The Chrome\Tsuna mystery will be revealed in due time, I just hope I can do it justice. Thank you; I hope I covered more of the enemy's motives in this chapter for you so pls enjoy. I'm glad you like my interpretation of TYL Chrome. I just can't imagine her without all of her previous faults even in adulthood. I just want her to be as human as possible.

Yeah… I don't know exactly where that term came from hehe

Really? Yeah, I just went with how Squalo seems to understand him the most. He respects him and treats him not with Levi's avidity so there's no pressure in their relationship but they can work together well. Typical macho men.

LOL, you're Squalo obsessed!

Don't worry, I love your reviews, they're so long and fun to read; it's almost like watching your face as you were reading my story, it livens me up. I hope you enjoy this next installment.

**Jao Jao****: **Yeah, poor Chrome; don't worry there are more opportunities for you to make that comment again ^_^; in the meantime, please enjoy.

**Shadow Ravon****: **Wow, a new reviewer; thank you so much for leaving me a comment. Of course I'm not done with it, pls enjoy this new chapter.

**chokolatito19****: **lol, yes I am and I am glad you're ready and I am so happy you are enjoying all the details to the story; I just hope I do that part justice so I won't disappoint you.

Yes Hibari and Mukuro… yeah, these things will be explored later hehehe.

Yeah, a suffering Xanxus is really lovable; I want to torture him some more kufufufufu… Yes he will suffer a LOT more (insert evil laughter here). I will tear him apart and put him back together little by little until he begs for Chrome-chan kufufufufu!

I'm sorry about the cliffhanger so here you go. Longer than the others so I pls enjoy and tell me what you think. Your reviews encourage me.

**By the Way: **This chapter is dedicated to **KuraiArcoiris** who— because of her amazing update to her amazing story **More than no Good**— was able to help me get out of my funk. It is one of the GREATEST stories of Tsuna ever told.

One of the reasons why this chapter was so delayed was because; if anyone bothered to read my profile, the damned site logged me out while I was saving the finished pages. Since I was doing it in the office and the computers there do not have Word applications I had to do it that way. I was so upset at losing my work I was in danger of putting this project on hiatus until I saw her amazing story updated.

So** THANK YOU, ****KuraiArcoiris****. **You have saved my readers a TON of frustration and me from a wall made of mental blocks. I am forever grateful.

**Translations**: Nebbia Ali- Mist Wings

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Please Enjoy! ^_^v**

**Chapter 13**

Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad was raised in a perfectly peaceful and wealthy blue blooded family.

His family had been alive as long as there was monarchy in Spain and suffered its own brands of ups and downs through each and every ancestor who succeeded each line. Like any family who had royal blood, his family had also suffered through poverty and discomfort and had known its own share of misery. Thankfully the last three generations of his family had all been quite adept in handling various businesses and retained those contacts with the newer, wealthier families who had begun to seize power in each and every land. In keeping up with the times his family had not only royal blood but wealth as well.

His parents were both modest, kind and quite dignified people who held strong to their religion. Being Catholic to them was akin to breathing and was as important as their most coveted social status. Family was also important to them and they had no problems showering their only son with gifts and fulfilling his each and every whim.

As Catholics, he was raised to fear and despise evil. He was raised to believe that all things evil should perish by the grace of God. His Roman Catholic priest tutor always told him stories of good versus evil; right versus wrong and how God triumphs in the end. As a child he held onto these beliefs seriously even though he thought his tutor was a bit… fanatical about it.

Being blessed with charm, intelligence, good looks and a healthy amount of idealism at a very early age he had discovered that all he needed to do was ask and he shall be given anything he wanted. With the help of his title and his family's wealth, he had no problems acquiring a place in the upper echelons of Spain's high society. He needed only ask and the world was spread out at his feet, waiting for him to step on it and rule it and it would be his every right to do so. He was the son of a duke, after all.

His friend Santiago was almost like him but for one thing. His family's wealth would never be able to buy royal blood; not if said blue bloods have enough money to stand toe to toe with that family. Santiago's father was a shipping magnate who had risen to the top of society as though overnight and had become acknowledged as a very wealthy, very influential man. He had a fearsome reputation for ruthlessness that entertained their peers. His car had 'accidentally' run over a child once; the daughter of a policeman who poked his nose too closely into his business. The law couldn't touch him.

Many envied and feared him and it was rumored that he had many politicians digging into his pockets but since such rumors are often exaggerated by commoners envious of the rich this was easily brushed off. Or so everyone would like each other to think and what he was made to believe. Being naïve back then, he fully believed in the man's innocence.

As a tightly knit group boxed in by old blood and money, the crème de la crème of high society guarded its own and guarded it well. Their need to include new money into their family circle outweighed rumors filled with wild conjecture. In other words no one cared whether or not Santiago's father was a sinner or a saint as long as he abided by the rules of this part of society and possessed the funds to keep up with all the pomp and glamour their society required to make it clear how different they were from the populace in general.

Yes, at a young age, Cornelio understood all this and more and he had no problems accepting this because he had no reason to think it was not right. He was brought thinking this is how it was supposed to be. That they were invincible and above the scum that could not abide by their rules of power and money. Nothing personal, it was just the way it was supposed to be.

But all that changed one fateful night during an innocent visit to a Santiago's villa.

It was a great villa. Old and marvelously structured and hardly anything has been changed since it was first built five generations ago by another royal blooded family who was too hard up on cash to support the maddening taxes such real estate required. Santiago's family just built the villa and wanted to show it off the friends in the summer season where his father had planned to go hunting with some of his business partners. Before they came Santiago and he arrived since the new young master of the old castle needed to be prepared for their arrival. His father was going to introduce him as official heir to their family's fortune.

Cornelio came with Santiago that summer because he was curious about the castle. Having been living in heavily remodeled palaces and villas and newly built town houses and condominiums, he was curious about such an old piece of history. He also read about this particular castle closely and had heard of rumors of secret passageways and dungeons where dozens of prisoners were once kept, tortured and killed. His secret love for the occult was only known to Santiago as his closest friend so the other boy had no problems indulging him.

Their second night there he had gotten lost in the secret hallways he had discovered behind the façade of thick walls around the old villa and had lost track of time as he roamed these hallways. He didn't know what time it was but he figured about that time that he should find Santiago so he wouldn't mobilize the Spanish militia to search for him and incidentally tear the wonderful villa up so he began his search for the source of air. The flashlight he had with him had enough batteries to sustain him even through the night.

He remembered the joy he felt when he finally saw the marker he left behind so he would find his way back to one of the family rooms on the ground floor when he smelled it. Smoke. But it was not just ordinary smoke; it was the kind of smoke that burned through your nose, right down your throat and twisted your gut because of the aroma that came with it.

The smell of burning plastic and wood and various other things.

But among all this was mixed with something else…

Was that the smell of meat?

He suddenly remembered how hungry he was.

He remembered there was a spy hole on the door to the secret passage he was behind of and took a peep. And that was when everything changed.

It was nothing he had ever seen before, not even in the movies. A scene of utter destruction and devastation clothed in a veil of fire. And the one who had wreaked it was a young man the color of darkness and eyes the color of blood… With his hand exploding into an angry flame as he burned every man who had dared approach or attack him without actually touching them.

Cornelio had never seen anything like it. If there was such a thing as a hell then surely this was it.

The young man the color of darkness laughed sadistically as he shot the many armed guards that he knew guarded Santiago's family while they were at the villa. Santiago's father had been bragging that they were the best money could buy and Cornelio had seen enough of these guards in action to know that they were nigh on invincible. But at that moment they fell like flies and burned to a crisp as they screamed in pain and mercy.

It was then that Cornelio understood that the meat he had smelled was no ordinary meat.

It was the smell of burning flesh.

_Human_ flesh.

Cornelio had covered his mouth as his stomach heaved and had barely held back from throwing up at the realization. The only thing that stopped him from becoming thoroughly sick was the sound of Santiago's voice, yelling and cursing the being of darkness angrily, threatening legal reprisal and revenge. Cornelio felt his heart stop as the being with the blood red eyes said nothing and took a gun, raised it to Santiago's face, and blew his head off. Cornelio failed to pass the stage of numbness from that point on.

Santiago's father was on the floor, merely staring at the burning remnants of his son in terror and despair before looking up at the Demon as Cornelio now knew him as. For such a creature that could kill so mercilessly and heartlessly could only be called thus.

"P-please… this is all a mistake!" he had heard Santiago's father sob at the time as he knelt in front of this Demon as though in prayer. "I-I can explain everything! Th-this is all just a big mistake! I'm begging you, Xanxus!"

_Xanxus_…

Cornelio remembered thinking it was fitting to be a Demon's name.

Like Azazel and Beelzebub and Lilith.

It was the name of absolute evil.

When the Demon opened his mouth to speak, Cornelio thought he was going to hear a growl.

The roughened voice almost seemed that way and he was surprised to hear actual words run over the creature's lips.

"Did you really think you can play the Vongola for a fool, scum?" were the demons words. "My old man might be a soft hearted fool so it was easy for you to steal the shipments for the Vongola right from under his nose but did you fucking think I was going to leave you alone just because that old fool said so?"

"Th-that's…" and then, seemingly rallying the last of his courage, Cornelio saw Santiago's father act brave. "That's right! If the Ninth finds out about this you're finished, Xanxus! He will never leave the Vongola in your hands!"

"Pfwahahahahah!" the Demon merely laughed, throwing his head back in his amusement before smirking and cocking his gun, aiming for the man's head. "Do you really think he has a choice? Of course he'll leave the Vongola to me."

Cornelio watched as the floor beneath a man he had thought was so powerful and untouchable started to get wet. He had wet his own pants in fear.

"And I'll be damned if I allow scum like you to treat my Family like shit."

The gun was pulled, the recoil was absorbed and a body slumped on the floor; headless and burning.

"Great job, Boss," a man with an afro came close, looking at this demon Xanxus in such an adoring way. "As always."

"Shove it up your ass," Xanxus had replied as he put his guns away and started walking out of the room. "Kill everyone in sight. This place makes me sick."

"Yes, Boss!"

"And tell Mammon to make sure the killings aren't traced back to us. The last thing we need is for that old fool to start getting on our case when the Interpol comes knocking."

"You can count on me, Boss!"

"VOI! You heard him! Get moving!" a man with short silver hair waved an arm with a sword attached to it.

"Ushishishi… of course we did, Sharky."

"SHUT UP!"

"Really, Squ-chan, he's just a little brat~"

"WELL HE SHOULD LEARN SOME MANNERS BEFORE I CARVE THEM INTO HIS FUCKING BRAIN!"

"Shut up! The Boss will get mad!"

"FUCK YOU! Just hurry up and kill everything that moves so we can get out of here!"

Cornelio remembered hiding behind that passageway door all night, listening to the sounds of the dead and dying. Wanting nothing more than to be deaf but could not find the ability to stop his senses from spinning. By the time it was over there was nothing left. Nothing but a pool of fire and debris and a bunch of charred, mutilated and beaten dead bodies scattered all over the villa. No one was spared. Only him.

He didn't do anything to report the massacre to the authorities. His parents found him in a near catatonic state the moment he managed to come back home without alerting the policw or anyone else of what he had witnessed. After hearing the Vongola, they made great pains to make sure their only son was not implicated in any way with the incident. Friends and family were told he was suffering a deep depression due to the shock of learning what happened to his closes friends and was given the best mental medication they could afford. People believed the lies. No one saw his pain.

Guidance; his parents told him when the psychiatrists weren't getting through to him. What he needed was his faith in God to restore his strength. That he kept on suffering because he had allowed that faith to weaken.

And then he was sent over to Confession and spoke with his old tutor; the priest who had embedded in him the beliefs of the Catholic Church. And there he found his salvation.

He spoke of everything.

The deaths, the demon and the sheer brutality.

He held nothing back and when he finished it was as though he had found himself again. As though a huge burden have been lifted off his chest and he could start breathing again.

And then the priest told him this; that there must be a reason why God chose him as the sole survivor of such an unfortunate incident. That there must have some sort of higher plan for him and that that something was to seek justice for the ones who could not get it. That he was God's champion and it was up to him to defeat the demon that had made God's servants suffer.

The priest told him the Mafia was a group of merciless, godless monsters who would have been better removed from the face of the earth. That they were unholy people; the lowest of the low who cared for nothing but profit and power and the sinful revelry of the flesh. He, Cornelio, was better than all of them and God knew this so he had spared him from that massacre.

For a while, Cornelio doubted. The demon was strong and he was weak.

But the priest smiled at him benevolently and told him… to become strong.

He had said it with such firm belief that Cornelio, looking for something to believe in and needing to find his purpose in life rose from the madness he had almost fallen into and swore. He swore he would be the archangel of justice who will the Demon Xanxus down and make him kneel before God. He will make the evil being atone for his sins and bring the Mafia along with him. To cast them down into the pits of hell where they belong. A new force of nature was born.

But he never knew that even in a den of demons, an angel could be trapped.

And this was the reason he wanted to save Chrome Dokuro.

Now, sitting in his chair and staring at the monitor in front of him, Cornelio stared at the maniacal smirk he had remembered from so long ago made even more menacing. Anyone who was seeing this demon would have trembled at the very sight of him and it would be their right to do so.

Standing there with his black coat hanging off his shoulders, his guns cocked at his sides and his face littered with the horrible scars of the past, Xanxus was a sight to behold. The sight of him facing off with a nuke laden blimp a hundred times his size was also a sight worth seeing.

Needless to say that the sight of him all crazed and ready for a fight almost made Cornelio wet his pants. Literally. That was, of course, before he managed to collect himself.

He reminded himself that he was the archangel of justice and he was not the boy he was once before. He was stronger now. No; he _was_ strength.

His attention was taken when another monitor blinked to life and showed off the familiar face of the other demon. The one that now had long silvery hair. "VOI! BOSS! THAT'S CHEATING!"

But Xanxus wasn't listening to anyone. His sights were directly on the large airborne vessel before him. "Shut up, scum. Bester."

His Varia ring sparkled and out came his liger from the mix of sky and storm flames. It growled menacingly at the same vessel its master was smirking at and Cornelio could see the same brutality glisten in the animal's blood red eyes.

Cornelio allowed his face to appear via the blimp's large screen located at the front of the blimp facing his enemies and looked down at Xanxus from above his nose. "Give it up, Xanxus. You will never defeat me. I am the Chosen One!"

"Eh?" Belphegor raised his brow at Cornelio's words. "Chosen for what? Suicide victim of the year?"

Cornelio ignored this even though he was able to hear their words through the still open commlink. "Give me Chrome Dokuro and I will let you live. For now."

"Bester," was all Xanxus said, his scars becoming even more pronounced than before and completely ignoring his demand. "Cambio Forma."

A loud roar and then suddenly, the animal disappeared and the Varia boss' guns were modified.

"Oh SHIT!" Squalo shouted as he started to run off the roof to take cover followed closely by the others. "FUCK, XANXUS! NOT AGAIN!"

The Spaniard leaned back into his chair and coolly stared at the hideous face on the monitor as though unaffected by the oncoming onslaught. "Indulge him."

Xanxus quite calmly shot Pistole Imperatore Animale at the airborne vessel, uncaring of the damage this will also inflict on his surroundings not to mention his own castle. In moments, the night sky over the forest Varia was settled in shone as bright as day with the roar of Sky flames twisting violently in the air.

"Magnificent…" Levi muttered reverently as he stared at the brutal display of power with the other Varia officers and the other surviving minions they had left from the earlier explosions. "You're so awesome, Boss… I'll follow you forever!"

"Well that's the end of him," Squalo grumbled as he rose out from behind the balcony of the castle tower they all dove in when Xanxus finally snapped. Something caught Squalo's eyes and he started looking around where they were. "Say… where are we?"

The others looked around as well, Lussuria being the first one to comment. "Oh my… I don't know but this is nice! A room fit for a princess!"

"Shishi… Seems we're in one of the castle towers in the north side." Belphegor declared before his eyes were caught by a rough looking knapsack.

"It's made of _illusions_!" Squalo narrowed his eyes at the portrait of the 10th Generation Family's portrait hanging on an illusionary wall. "This place is just like any other dung heap; even if it does look cleaner than the rest of the place. Don't tell me she's been rooming here all along! The fuck?"

"Ushishishishi…" everyone turned at the Prince's laugh and saw him digging through a small knapsack and his hand came out with a piece of underwear. "Looks like we found Chrome-chan's room~"

"Bel, don't touch that, you dirty little thing!" Lussuria screamed, whacking the much younger man at the back of the head. "Have you no shame?"

"Like you'd ever be interested in things like these," the sassy remark was bitten off by the blond when he saw how Lussuria was admiring the lacy undergarment and hearing how the Varia Sun Guardian was muttering about how pretty it was despite being too tame for his tastes. "I guess you wouldn't be interested in it the same way I am."

"That's a nice try, Xanxus," Everyone in the room froze as the familiar voice of the Spanish politician echoed in the air outside and Squalo rushed to the balcony to look out and see what's wrong. All of them were floored to see the blimp relatively unharmed after Xanxus' flame cleared and the smoke cleared away to give them a better view of the enemy's state. "But it was not good enough."

"Voi, w_hat_ the…?"

"Oi, that's not looking good." Bel frowned from beside the silver haired assassin.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Levi cried out in outrage. "This is a trick!"

"Boss! What happened~?" Lussuria cried out in worry.

They could all see Xanxus' grimacing at the aircraft, a tinge of confusion on his face. Shots from his Cambio Forma had been known to decimate _cities_ at full power so how could this mere, fragile looking carrier even _think_ about surviving that?

"What the fuck sort of trick is this?" the scarred man growled, his red eyes burning.

The mocking face of the current bane of their existence appearing through a holographic screen right in front of the seriously pissed off Varia Boss looking calm and about absolutely sure of himself. "No trick, Señor Xanxus; this is merely God's way of showing who he favors and clearly he favors me as his Chosen One."

Xanxus scowled back at the politician. "I don't know what kind of god you're worshipping but I gotta say he's got really bad taste."

Cornelio's eyes turned cold and his smirk melted off into a scowl; the marks of insanity surfacing through the tiny twitches of his mouth. "It figures that a servant of Hell like you would not appreciate The Angel of Justice in his coming."

"What 'Angel of Justice'?" Xanxus mocked him further with a condescending smirk now. "All I see is a sniveling fucktard hiding behind a monitor screen jerking off at the sight of me from under that desk you're on."

Levi gaped in silent shock even as he blushed red at the words. Bel snickered in the background joined in by Lussuria's giggles.

"That stupid Boss," Squalo shook his head in amused exasperation. "He'll never change."

Cornelio struggled for composure, displeased by the other man's vulgarity. "Well, Señor Xanxus, I must say that you have a great talent for rather… colorful words. Nevertheless, I will repeat my offer since I do have my honor. If you comply then I will cease my attack for now and approach you at a more convenient time. Right now I have only one interest and one only. _Hand over Chrome Dokuro_."

Cornelio already knew Xanxus was not going to agree; he had always thought that only fools know not true fear. But when Xanxus' eyes glowed an even brighter pyrope he was shocked that it had not been able to burn right through the monitor. They were cursed eyes. Eyes that were dug right from the bottom of the earth and should not belong to any mortal.

Instead of complying, the Varia boss growled quietly, clutching his modified X-Guns tighter in his hands and his anger rose even more fiercely in his eyes.

The Spanish politician tried to appear as unaffected as possible even as his old traumas tried to resurface at the maniacal look of blood lust being directed straight at him. "Free her. An angel like her should be freed from maggots and disgraces like _you_ before you further taint her with your evil."

"Fuck you."

And again the whole night sky was filled with the bright blaze of wrathful Sky flames as Xanxus raised another barrage of attacks at the blimp.

"VOIIII!" Squalo screamed, hanging onto the balcony's edge even as he shielded his eyes from the blinding brightness of the attack with his good hand. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? STOP IT, YOU SHITTY BOSS! YOU'RE WASTING YOUR FUCKING AMMO!"

"Really, Squ-chan, why are you even trying~?" Lussuria shrugged at his strategy captain from the room. "You know he won't listen to anybody when he's in that state."

"I KNOW, dammit!" Squalo growled at the Varia Sun Guardian. "But something's _wrong_! Look at that! His attacks aren't even scratching that fucking thing!"

Xanxus kept on firing until the catridges in his guns dropped out of the handles and ran on empty but Squalo's words ran true. After the smoke cleared and silence came back the blimp remained whole and unscratched.

It was Cornelio's time to laugh maniacally. His plan was working perfectly. He watched the anger further riddle scars on Xanxus' ugly face growing and growing until it was as though the flames of his anger was ready to consume his own body. He wished it were true for that would have been a sight to behold.

"Sir, all the men are in position and ready to take your orders." One of his men told him from his left.

"Good," Cornelio replied as he once again relaxed in his chair, triumphantly smirking. "Then tell them to start as soon as they see our flag rise out from the top of the ship."

"Sir?" the man asked in surprise. "But what about Chrome Dokuro?"

"She's obviously not here or she would have interfered already. Do it," he said firmly. "Besides, it would be a lot more easier to take her in as soon as we get rid of these demons."

"Yes, sir."

"VOI! BOSS!"

Cornelio looked at the monitor to see the rest of the Varia coming out of hiding and starting to surround Xanxus in an attempt to protect him. Who would have thought that demons knew loyalty at all?

"Fucking shark bitch," Xanxus growled at his subordinates as he calmly reloaded his guns. "Get the fuck out of the way before I shoot you down too! The brittle little dipshit is _mine_!"

Squalo was about to snarl something back at him but Cornelio's face appeared on the wide holographic monitor again, his glee apparent on his handsome face. "How I have waited to see your helplessness just like this for a long, long time… How long have I prepared to right the wrongs you Mafia have committed…? And now, Señor Xanxus, I can finally save the world from you!"

The Varia stared as the blimp spread its size and slowly unfolded to show off its true form. A very wide, very armed plane that had the size and seemingly length of a Boeing 747, the width and wingspan length and design of a Northrop Grumman B-2 and packing about ten times as much firepower as a Lockheed AC-130.

It was truly a sight to behold.

"Shishi… Well," Belphegor commented even as he stared up at the large aircraft with something akin to awe, sweat dripping from is temple in his nervousness. "Looks like _someone_ is trying to compensate for something."

"Fuck," Squalo muttered under his breath. "He hid that in the blimp on purpose! If the Italian aerospace found out there was something like _this_ in the country they would all _flip_."

"Nevertheless, Squ-chan~" Lussuria pouted. "This doesn't look good at all. Can you imagine what that thing could do to the castle?"

"YOU THINK I CAN'T SEE THAT FROM WHERE I'M STANDING, LUSSU?"

"Xanxus-sama!" Levi stood in front of Xanxus, his parabolas already in his hands. "Please stand back and let me handle this!"

"I _said_ he's MINE!" The Varia Boss angrily kicked Levi off the roof and propelled himself in the air with his newly loaded guns he then began to aim at the large war aircraft, ignoring his subordinate's calls to come back.

Squalo had a very bad feeling about this. He didn't understand what the feeling was and wished his stupid ass of a boss would calm down enough to explain it to him but his gut was telling he needed to stop Xanxus. Unfortunately, such a feat would mean a great, big, fat suicide.

The swordsman watched as the holographic monitor showed Cornelio's mocking smirk and listened to him taunting Xanxus some more. "How horribly crude and weak. Just as expected from a heathen."

Squalo started cursing up a storm as he watched his boss' face further darken and his eyes glow brighter in his anger at the insult.

"_You_ will _fucking_ DIE!" Xanxus roared.

"Big mistake, Señor Demonio."

"FUCKING BASTAAAARD!" Xanxus shouted as he lifted his guns up to aim at the now very large plane.

At that, a flag bearing the same symbol as the one displayed in the villa the Varia had destroyed in Spain was raised up from the top of the large craft. He watched the Spanish politician then relax and all kinds of alarm signal rang in Squalo's brain. "And now I must bid you, adios; because it's my turn."

"BOSS, _WAIT_!" Squalo screamed even as he activated his Varia ring, riding on the Rain Shark to try and protect Xanxus from whatever danger that was making his ears ring.

And then it happened. Missiles, more than a dozen of them, were released and all of them only had one target.

They were all aimed at Xanxus.

And Squalo was too far away to reach the bloody shit and protect him.

Xanxus shot at the warheads but it was as though his flames were merely sliding through the missiles and now that they were too close there was no way to stop them.

"XANXUUUUSSSS!"

"Vongola Gear Version X…"

Squalo stiffened at the soft sound of that painfully familiar voice and knew who it was even before the scent of night blooming jasmines brushed passed his nose and made his senses aware of her. He looked around but he couldn't see her. And then… the formation of indigo mist weaving around the Varia boss caught his eye.

"…**Nebbia Ali**…"

Suddenly, mist started to creep up around the Varia boss until the scarred man disappeared before his eyes. Squalo blinked, he couldn't believe it. It was a while before he realized that Xanxus had stopped shooting. When the mist parted, the silver haired second in command's eyes widened when he saw the slender figure of Chrome Dokuro holding on to Xanxus' wide shoulders from behind, her delicate hands lightly resting on the scarred man's shoulders while she floated behind him, her fur lined Varia cloak floating behind her like a banner.

Squalo then watched as her box animal attached itself to her back and melded into her skin leaving only its wings behind which began to grow so large that when it folded over her and Xanxus, it effectively shielded her and the Varia boss from sight. Squalo barely had the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of this view when the missiles hit. The force being so strong that it blew him off and away from his spot.

"SQU-CHAN!"

"BOSS!"

Squalo was thrown back to the roof of the castle with Lussuria immediately looking him over for any signs of injury but the silver haired swordsman ignored the older man's fussing. When he was able to stand straight again he watched as the smoke and fire from the explosion cleared and with it came the shedding of glowing white feathers raining down on him and the other Varia officers like some sort of divine blessing. And as the wings were folded back they revealed the unharmed forms of his Boss and the woman who still lightly held onto the dark skinned Italian's shoulders and Squalo thought they looked like a vision from a painting.

Of a beautiful angel pulling a mortal soul to Heaven and enjoy paradise with her…

"Chrome Dokuro…" Again, Cornelio's irritating face appeared before them through the large holographic monitor in front of the ridiculously large plane. Squalo was getting really tired of looking at the bastard's face. He was also noticing the somewhat obsessed way the fucking bastard was now staring at Dokuro's soft face. "So you have finally shown yourself. I was looking for you."

"Don't you fucking talk to her, scum," Xanxus growled menacingly at the politician, almost unconsciously reaching for Dokuro's right hand on his shoulder. "She's none of your fucking business."

"On the contrary," Cornelio looked at the Varia Boss from above his aquiline nose in contempt. "If you had only allowed me to speak to her in the first place then you would not have had to endure all this from me."

"Go fuck yourself, dipshit."

Cornelio ignored the angry man and smiled softly, benevolently at the Vongola Mist Guardian. "Señorita Dokuro, I have been asking around about you… I know of your position in the Vongola. How you were used by the Mafia and made to do their job for them. How they treat you as nothing but a pawn…

"So I am here as your savior," Cornelio greedily took in her beautiful face, making a mental note to have her cover her patched up eye with an illusion of a real eye. It was a shame to have such beauty scarred. "I am here to pick you up and join my cause, Señorita Dokuro."

Cornelio could see Xanxus' fingers tightening on his gun's triggers again but the miniscule pressure from Dokuro's fingers seemed to stop him.

She then calmly looked up at him, her gaze filled with a soft emotion akin to… pity?

"I appreciate your generosity and consideration, Señor Trinidad," she began; her voice still as soft and heavenly as the first time he had heard it. Empty of the cold, harsh tones of arrogance, haughtiness and indifference. He could hear how she meant every word of that sentence. "But I refuse."

Cornelio's eyes widened; he had never thought he would get such a calm and sincere apology and refusal of such soft bluntness there was no room to doubt that she had already decided. "What? But why? Señorita Dokuro surely you must see that you have no future in this criminal organization! They are evil! Soulless monsters who will take you straight down to hell with them! You must free yourself and allow me to rescue you and take you to where you are supposed to belong!"

"I'm sorry," she smiled softly at him in a way that made the Spanish politician's heart stop before it raced in anger. "But I already have a place I want to belong to."

"Belong to! You do not belong _here!"_ he yelled at her over the monitor in disbelief. "You are pure! Untainted and magnificent! They do not even have the right to _touch_ you! These people are evil! Murderers and criminals of the lowest form! They should all die!"

"I know what the Varia are and I know what they are capable of," she calmly, softly answered back, silencing him. "I have seen how Xanxus-sama killed your friend and his father and all those people back in your past. I have witnessed and heard the massacre of that family just as though I were there myself when I entered your mind the first time we met. I know what kind of sins the Varia have done."

Xanxus turned his head and looked back at her face sharply.

"Then WHY?"

"Because I have already found my Sky," her smile was soft and wistful and so _innocent_ that it made Cornelio long to touch it. He felt he would surely be forgiven any sin if he were able to touch that smile right now. "And it doesn't matter what sort of sins the Varia have done. I know that they have done them all to protect that Sky. For that reason alone, I give them my loyalty."

The Spaniard's face darkened and all traces of dignity and benevolence vanished and in its place stood out the insane hate and obsession that was now all focused on Xanxus' glaring form. "It's _him_, isn't it? That Demon has already corrupted you! If I kill him, then you will be set free of his hold on you! Very well then, FIRE!"

"Xanxus-sama…" Cornelio watched in growing anger and jealousy as the woman lightly embraced Xanxus around the neck with her arms, her lips beside his ear in a parody of a whispering lover. "No matter how much you shoot your flames won't penetrate that barrier."

Xanxus seemed frozen solid and had not moved a muscle since she put her arms around him.

"Everything about that plane is covered with that chemical that douses Dying Will Flames. From the hull to the weapons on it, all of it is covered by that substance," she continued, oblivious to the sudden bout of tension in the Varia Boss' limbs. "If we allow him to do what he wants then the base will be destroyed. I know that you don't like being touched by other people but please… Please let me lend you my flame.

"All you have to do is shoot," she told him and the scarred man lifted his arms to aim both X-Guns at the plane. "And I will do the rest."

Cornelio was laughing maniacally now. "That won't work! I am invincible! Everything I _have_ is blessed by God! That agent of Hell will never defeat me."

"Shut up," Xanxus growled before pulling the triggers. "And die already."

Again the modified Cambio Forma launched another attack, illuminating the dark sky with its light once more but this time, another color of flame surrounded it. A faint indigo light that wrapped around the reddish orange flames as lightly as she was wrapped around Xanxus' own body. The attack hit the front of the plane. They all saw the indigo flame roll over the surface of the place like water on a duck's back and it was dispersed harmlessly around the aircraft. However this time, as the indigo flames were dispersed the reddish orange flames from Xanxus made contact with the plane's metal and resulted in a direct hit.

In seconds, the plane exploded.

Cornelio watched all of this happen in disbelief. "What in the name of God…?"

This time, it was Chrome's face which appeared in the monitor in front of him, looking tired and weary but nonetheless softly confident. Her arms were still around the Varia Boss' neck and floating behind his back looking every bit like a darkly dressed, purple haired angel. "That Dying Will Flame Dowser covered plane can neutralize any kind of flame but surely it had its limits. Meaning it can only hold against one flame at a time."

"H-how did you kn—"

"I know you're not really in that plane, Señor Trinidad so let me give you a little warning. Stay away from the Varia and the Vongola. You have been warned."

And then, without warning, all the monitors set for the ordeal he had been planning for to document the Varia's massacre shut down as though a switch had been turned off. His office in Madrid had become deathly silent.

Realizing she had managed to send a virus in the system, he barked at his men from his seat. "_Where are the snipers_?"

"Sir, we have no response from any of them."

"DAMN IT!" he howled, violently sweeping off everything on his desk in one harsh motion.

Why? Why would she choose to side with the devil instead of him? Why would she throw away her chance at salvation? No, it was surely that Demon's fault. He had tainted her, that was it. And if only he could remove that obstacle out of his way then surely, _surely_ she would choose him next.

His celphone rang and even though he didn't want to Cornelio answered it. The only people who knew of that number were important acquaintances after all.

"Hello?"

"I see you have failed judging from the tone of your voice," the familiarity of the mocking tone did nothing to alleviate his anger. "Did you at least manage to destroy the Varia?"

"I am not in the mood for your games, Fernando," Cornelio snarled into the receiver. "If you have no important information to give me then I'm hanging up."

"So that's a no, then? What a shame," Fernando Jose Marciano de Vega sighed. "Just remember our deal, alright? I will give you the Vongola and you will give me Chrome Dokuro."

Cornelio stilled. He had forgotten his deal with the head of the de Vega family. In fact, he had not thought about it ever since he had laid eyes on Chrome Dokuro himself. He wanted to tell the Spanish Mafioso that the deal was off but then he still needed the inside information the man had been giving him. He could not lose such an important contact now.

"Fine," Cornelio answered the other man on the line smoothly. "Is that all?"

"Yes," the other man replied with equal silkiness. "Until later."

Cornelio heard the click on the other line and shut off his own phone. He then looked out into the dark streets of Madrid still filled with the light traffic of people who enjoyed their merry making at this time of the night.

When Fernando came to him with this deal he had thought it absurd that the man had wanted to exchange information about his brethren all for merely one woman but the moment he had experienced her for himself was the first time he understood why. When he felt her traverse his mind it became clear to her that what Fernando Jose Marciano de Vega wanted was not more money or more glory or more power. What the man wanted was all of the above and he would be able to achieve them all if Chrome Dokuro was at his side.

The power to control human thoughts and decisions without the need of posession… Yes it was truly an advantage. Now that Cornelio had seen it for himself he understood that he cannot allow that woman to fall into the hands of the Mafioso. She needed to be by his side and be saved. To become a true angel instead of siding with evil.

He needed a way for her to change her mind…

/*****/

Chrome sighed in relief as she floated away from the Varia boss' back and listened for the static that would indicate the connection to Trinidad's servers have been cut off, her gaze distracted by the magnificent burning blue flames Squalo was hurriedly pouring over the still loaded plane that had fallen on the forest after Xanxus shot it to keep the warheads from exploding. She heard a faint beep in her earpiece signaling that someone wanted to talk to her and so she opened the link once again, oblivious to the sharp, crimson eyes following her every move.

"Yes, Lal-shishou?" she asked into the piece softly.

"All the snipers have been eliminated; I saw what happened. So he's gone?"

"Yes," Chrome felt herself go dizzy. The throbbing pain from her gunshot wound became more prominent. "Thank you, master."

"Chrome, why do you sound faint?" the Vongola Mist Guardian was swaying now, her Mist owl disconnecting from her to try and hold her up by the scruff of her Varia uniform. "Chrome?"

"Woman," the deep, dark voice laced through her senses and Chrome felt her eyes finally drawn to the man in front of her, expecting punishment for touching him as she had earlier. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Chrome's world spun, now that the adrenaline was gone and she had used the last of her flames she was loosing what strength she had but she couldn't let the Varia leader know that. What she needed was a place to stay and lick her wounds for a while.

But seeing the angry, perplexed expression on the scarred man's face inexplicably made her smile. "Xanxus-sama… I'm so glad… you're safe…"

The last thing she remembered before her vision got dark was the surprised widening of those red eyes and Lal's voice screaming her name over the ear piece… And the last sensation she felt was a pair of strong, warm arms holding her close to an equally warm, broad chest and the scent of oranges and spices and brandy comforting her into a deep, deep sleep…

/*****/

Please **REVIEW**?


	14. Chapter 14

**Title:****Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme:****Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story:****Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**AN**: Don't expect regular updates.

**Emeline b**: Bonté, j'ai été tellement surpris par votre commentaire, ne vous inquiétez pas, je peux comprendre l'idée générale de ce que vous voulez dire et je suis profondément reconnaissant. Je sais que très peu le français, alors j'espère que vous pouvez comprendre ce que j'écris, s'il vous plaît corriger mes erreurs grammaticales si vous voulez ^ _ ^

Donc, j'ai réussi à vous faire marcher sur le côté assez sombre que vous avez même rêvé, hein? (insérer rire mal ici) C'est un accomplissement pour moi d'avoir des gens conviennent à ma façon de penser et je pense que X96 est l'un des meilleurs choses dans le monde jamais! OUI! Hourra pour CRACK! Je suis si heureux que vous appréciez cette histoire et je prie pour que je ne serai jamais décevoir certains d'entre vous!

**MewKew: **Don't worry, I'm just happy to hear from you again ^_^; Yeah, Xanxus shirtless is one of the best things that can happen in this fandom so I can't blame you lol; this chapter has a shirtless Xanxus so enjoy him while you can ^_^ Seriously? I played the song again (gosh it's been a while since I last watched Bleach) And whoa you were right! It kinda fit, huh? Awesome song choice! LOL yeah, he's got anger problems. A stressball is defenseless against that anger!

**Dragonbook: **Okay; here's more; I'm so happy you are enjoying the story ^_^

**Tina**: Yup, totally psycho; can you blame him though after everything? Lol glad you enjoyed Chrome's appearance and I hope I will never disappoint you. The wings thing had always been on my mind for Chrome; I don't know it just sorta suits her, don't you think? Oh and about what happened between her and Tsu-kun (sniggers) sorry, not telling ;P

**Black Diamond07**: Oh it's so nice to hear from you again; I'm so happy you dropped me a comment, thank you so much; I hope you enjoy this chapter too ^_^

**deadly-chronicles**: Seriously I despise fangirls who bash Chrome in and out of the forums so it's up to us to show them up! They're all probably just jealous because Chrome can hang around with the guys so effortlessly! Mukuro gives her free hugs and we know how violent Mukuro fans can be (glares at Mukuro); no hard feelings, Piney but giving Chrome-chan some unnecessary hurdles here. Lol; anyway, I hope this cheers you up some more, d-c; luv ya! ~_^

**BlackAngel'sWrath**: Thanks so much for reviewing; I hope you got my PM about the blue blood thing? Yeah, it's one way of calling royal blooded people. Please enjoy the rest of the story ^_^

**Indyctator**: OF COURSE YOU ARE! I enjoy reading your reviews lol; thank you for the nice comments and I kinda agree; the only reason why I had Cornelio wandering alone was because Santiago was there for business and not pleasure like he was so they couldn't be together as much. Sorry about the smell of meat thing; ehe; but I guess it had the right effect, though?

Yeah, according to history lessons Spanish families really center a lot around religion and mainly Spaniards are Catholics the same as me as hence the knowledge of references and the fact that I was also a bit of an occult fanatic. I had to put myself in that situation with Cornelio and see just how I would see Xanxus' true nature with a naïve religious boy's eyes. Thank you so much for commenting about that.

LOL You squeal over Squalo having short hair; if that does not say obsession I don't know what will but okay I concede your point; swordsmen can be pretty hot (Me: TAKESHI! HUG ME! *chases after Takeshi with heart eyes while he runs away in terror*)

I'm glad you enjoyed Bel and how everyone acted when Xanxus busted out his Cambio Forma; I got the info fresh from mangafox after reading that part of the manga so lol; I'm glad I was able to use it in this fanfic.

Gosh, please enjoy this new installment; your reviews inspire me to give my chapters more detail because you pay attention to them so much. It's readers like you who make it writing this story worthwhile ^-^

Luv n' Kisses!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Please Enjoy! ^_^v**

**Chapter 14**

"VOI, woman! How is Dokuro doing?"

Lal stood at Chrome's bedside completely frozen as the door was practically kicked open and in came a glaring set of Varia officers led by that loud bitch Squalo.

"Don't you barbarians know how to knock?" She snapped at them, tensing her body for a fight if necessary.

"VOI, I asked the question here first, witch!" Squalo yelled back at her, waving his sword around.

Lal was about to snap back when she saw the way the strategy captain's silver eyes flick over towards Chrome's form lying unconscious on the wide, cotton sheet covered bed for a second. For a flash of that second Lal could have sworn she saw worry in Squalo's eyes. But it passed so quickly one could have probably mistaken it for constipation. Or gas.

_But what in the world…?_

And then she caught sight of Xanxus completely ignoring her and his officers and walking right around Squalo and her to stand at the foot of Chrome's bed and then just began to glare at the young woman as though she just killed his box animal and ate it. Lal then remembered how she arrived at the Varia base and saw the Varia boss carrying Chrome with a sort of gruff tenderness in his arms despite his indifferent scowl and followed them to this room to lay her with curious gentleness on this very bed before glaring at her and leaving with the rest of the Varia. That one look told Lal everything she needed to know.

He was leaving Chrome for her to fix.

As if she would leave her student alone in the kind of condition she was in.

That aside she set to work and used her Mist flames to stabilize the failing illusions of the younger woman's organs due to her unconscious and weakened state and the fact that she had used what had been left of her flames to aid the Varia boss. It took a couple of hours to do something that would have taken Chrome merely seconds to accomplish and again Lal was reminded how, although she was still superior in combat skills, Chrome's skill in controlling illusions was still far above the norm. Illusionists like her were as rare to come by as there were Sky flame users around; maybe even rarer. The Vongola truly lucked out when Rokudo Mukuro picked her for a vessel.

"She's going to be fine," Lal finally relented, not wanting to fight. She was already exhausted enough as it was. "She overused her flames to the point that she almost drained herself out of her own organs. I assume you guys know that basic information, right?"

"Of course, we were there during the Ring conflict," Belphegor replied with his usual grin but she noticed that he too was peering over at the bed repeatedly and was trying to get around Squalo to come closer. "We all saw her battle with Mammon."

"Tch, she's as weak as ever," Levi A Than harrumphed as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. "She's an embarrassment to Xanxus-sama."

"Well then it's a good thing she's _not_ 'Xanxus-sama's' responsibility now, is she?" Lal snapped back at the tall man with a glare. "And for your information, the only reason Chrome is in this state was because she was already wounded and worn off before she rushed back here to help _your_ ungrateful asses!"

The Vongola's Independent Assassination Squad officers were silenced at the claim for a moment and Lal blinked at them all. What was happening? She thought these idiots would have been yelling back at her that they didn't care already but despite the lack of a Vongola Hyper Intuition ability she could sense a tiny amount of— dare she say wonder— in them? Wonder that someone would do such a thing for them. They all still looked pretty gruff and indifferent, though. Not that Lal couldn't blame them; the only other person who would probably rush off to help them would be Sawada Tsunayoshi himself. And perhaps Yamamoto Takeshi and Sasagawa Ryohei; but then the baseball player was friends with Squalo and the boxer was close to Lussuria so she guessed they wouldn't really count.

"Oh my~ Chrome-chan looks like such a marvelous corpse! I swear, if she were a man I would totally add her in as part of my collection~! She looks like a doll!" the Varia Sun Guardian crowed as he came forward to Chrome's bedside to look her over. "What happened to her anyway~?"

Lal struggled not to cringe at the necrophilic bastard's words. She swore Lussuria was probably a mortician or an embalmer somewhere sometime in his life before he joined the Varia what with his fascination for corpses.

Deciding she'd rather not think about it, Lal took out a certain bullet from one of the pouches around her belt and held it up for all of them to see. "She took a bullet for me; we were ambushed while in a meeting. I wanted her to go to a hospital but she wanted to come here instead to warn you of the danger. On the way here we noticed how her flames kept decreasing like it were being eaten from the inside. And then she remembered that chemical she was telling me about and asked me to pull the bullet out; it was the reason we were delayed. As it was when I got it out and tested it with my own flame, we found out the bullet was indeed coated with the same chemical that doused your Dying Will flames."

"Shit, wasn't that the same thing they did to those goddamned missiles and the fucking plane that wouldn't die?" Squalo growled fiercely.

"Yes, it absorbs flames and forces them out of a person's body, forcibly expending it just like my Zamza," the COMSUBIN Ace showed them her box where her animal rested. "Chrome found out because she felt she was losing hold of her illusions with her organs. It's the reason why she was so weak by the time she got here. She was only planning to warn you but saw the situation when we arrived and rushed off to help. I was asked to get rid of the snipers hanging around the castle. Apparently, Trinidad's plan B was to shoot you in the heads if the missiles didn't work."

"Wouldn't put it passed the damn bastard," Squalo muttered thoughtfully before flicking his eyes back on Chrome. "And how did you two figure out how to stop the missiles if it was coated by the stuff?"

"Did she tell you she's got two flames same as mine?" Lal Mirch began, Squalo glared but nodded once. "Since the bullet was a danger to her we had to pull it out of her and fast by making an exit wound. But it was in too deep and lodged in between the bone. Forcing it out fast would require another shot through the entry wound."

"So you shot her _again_? In the same _spot_?" Squalo exclaimed and gaped, surrounded by the other shocked faces of Levi, Belphegor and Lussuria. "And she _let_ you?"

"There was no other way!" she snapped back. "And because the shot needed to be precise I had to use flames to make sure my bullet doesn't miss and be left behind. However, every time my flames even touched her it would dissipate because of the bullet and the chemical's properties. It was already mixing in with her blood. I have to say that thing was some potent stuff."

"And then what happened?"

Lal blinked and glanced at the Prince the Ripper. It creeped her out that this was the first time she had ever seen the self proclaimed prince look so _attentive_ about _anything_. She shot her sleeping student an incredulous look.

'_Dear God, Chrome!_' she asked her student mentally. '_Just what the hell did you do to the Varia?_'

She decided to continue with her narrative. "We knew that if we didn't take the bullet out soon, she would lose her internal organs because her flames would soon be forced out of her by the bullet. She tried to help my Mist flames with her own Mist flames but it still wouldn't work. Then she decided to use her Cloud flames instead of her Mist because she needed to conserve that to prevent her organs from failing. To our surprise, even though my Mist flames were still being dispelled her Cloud flames held. Before I knew it she had my Cutlass in her hand and she was covering it with _both_ her flames and shot the first bullet right out of her leg."

"So that was how she found out about the Dying Will Flame douser's weakness," Squalo said thoughtfully again but much more irritated as he tried to hide his awe. "Idiot woman."

"Ushishishishi… she's crazy, that one." Belphegor sniggered but Lal spied fine beads of sweat rolling off the young man's temple.

_Heh. Who knew Prince the Ripper was squeamish about self inflicted injuries?_

"She's _marvelous~_!" Lussuria cooed and blushed like a proud mother. "But I wonder how much pain she could take? Mammon once said Illusionists have a low tolerance for pain."

"Hmph, never underestimate my training strategies," Lal crossed her arms over her chest smugly. "Even if her stamina and tolerance for pain is far from 'Varia quality' she can still hold her own in most situations other single fighters would find hopeless. Besides, it's not her physical strength and stamina that kept her from collapsing while running back here; it was her will alone."

"Will~?"

"Her resolve," Lal smiled fondly down at her student. "While I was training her I found out that although her kind of resolve was quiet and unassuming, it was no less strong than that of… let's say Sasagawa Ryohei. But she doesn't need her flames to explode to make it potent."

She watched the Varia fall into a somewhat contemplative silence, wondering what they were thinking. One thing she was sure about though was, whatever it was they were thinking was somehow linked to the purple haired woman lying on the bed inside the room.

"Tch. Not that I care but what's gonna happen to her now?" Squalo continued to ask after a while.

Training men for a living and for a long time made Lal understand the gruff concern she could hear underlining those words. "I'll need to stay here until she regains enough consciousness to keep up her organs functioning herself. If not she's going to die."

"Tch, I thought Rokudo Mukuro is providing her with those illusions?" Levi grouched from his spot against the threshold of the door to the bedroom.

"She hasn't been dependent on Mukuro for organs since she was _fourteen_." Lal bit off defensively.

Levi just turned his face away much to the failed Arcobaleno's irritation.

"If you're staying then that's good," Squalo smirked at her predatorily. "I want to ask you some questions while you're here."

"Eh?" the failed Arcobaleno responded, rather perplexed by the shark like grin on Squalo's face. "What sort of questions?"

"About _her_," Squalo jerked his chin towards the woman on the bed, his expression very serious. "I want to know why Reborn put her up here with _us_ when he could have given her to any other organization under the Vongola umbrella. He practically forced her on us when he came about a month ago to drop her off and fetch Mammon and don't give us that bullshit about chasing after the Arcobaleno curse; even the Bronco's not talking for some reason and we want to know what is going on."

Lal Mirch blinked. So the Cavallone knows something about what was going on but is no less secretive about the matter? _Reborn what is going on?_ "Then why didn't you try asking around?"

"I HAVE!" Squalo yelled out in frustration.

"Squ-chan, lower your voice, Chrome-chan is sleeping~!"

"…Fine."

"So you asked around?" Lal turned the Varia's Rain Guardian's attention back to her, hiding her amazement that Squalo complied for the sake of her student. "And then what did you find out?"

"EH? Well…" Squalo blinked before scowling and narrowing his eyes at Lal as though returning her calculating expression. She could practically see the cogs in his mind turning and was probably thinking it would be beneficial to exchange information with her. Well, the reason Xanxus sent him on a lot of meetings with other Familias was because Squalo was the best at diplomacy out of all the Varia, after all. Despite his gruff and violent nature, the man knew how to negotiate. "Fucking bastards either had their voicemail on, be complete and utter dicks about it, hung the phone up on me or know absolutely nothing at all."

"So why ask me?"

"Because Yamamoto said you were her combat master and that you should know her better than anyone else."

"Why not ask Mukuro?"

"He's not in the phonebook."

"Did you check under 'D'? For 'Dumb Pineapple Bastard, That'?"

Squalo raised his brows at that. "Bitter much?"

"Oh you have no idea," Lal frowned at the memory of the male Illusionist. "I will never be able to understand just how Chrome could care unconditionally for someone who had shamelessly used her as he did."

The Varia frowned at this and glanced at each other except for Xanxus who continued to glare silently at the younger woman's unconscious form.

Bel shrugged. "Maybe she's just an idiot?"

Lal glared at the blond Prince and bristled. "Shut up! What do you know about her anyway? Of course you won't appreciate someone like her!"

Bel merely grinned at her. "Why should I care about a mere peasant?"

Lal smirked back. "She was the illegitimate daughter of a famous Japanese actress and a dead French duke; I don't think she quite qualifies as a peasant don't you think?"

The grin abruptly dropped from the prince's face. "…What did you say?"

Lal realized just what she had been saying and mentally banged her head into an imaginary wall. She also mentally made sure she left the imaginary wall with a sizeable crack on it and laughed at its pain. Lord, why did she always get carried away whenever she was defending this student? "Never mind."

"So Chrome-chan is a _princess_~?" Lussuria was blushing at the thought. "Oh so wonderful~!"

"I _said_ she was _illegitimate_." Lal snarled, palm slapping onto her face.

"How do you know all this?" Squalo scowled at her, seemingly displeased that they didn't know all this information about the female Mist Guardian.

"_Because_ we're _CEDEF_," Lal answered him through gritted teeth, deciding it wouldn't matter if she talked. Chrome's history was a matter of public record if one bothered to look into it, her records were not that hard to find. If no one else in the Vongola knew about it then it only meant that they didn't care enough to pull out her file folder in the Vongola's archives and read it. This was the first time in Lal's knowledge that anyone has expressed so much interest in the female Mist Guardian. "And did you actually think Iemitsu would let just _anyone_ that had no clear background stay around his precious little boy? Of _course_ we dug into her past as much as we could after Chrome joined the Vongola. It's our _job_."

"Mammon's records say her father was a businessman for a large international company," Squalo scowled again; mentally flipping through what files he had in his mind about the female Illusionist. "So that's not true?"

"That was her _step_father; Nagi's mother married him shortly after she turned eight, they're not blood related."

"Nagi?"

"Her real name," Lal mentally smirked at the thought of violating Mukuro's intimate knowledge of Chrome's real name. She loved irking the male Mist user and when he finds out that the _Varia_ of all people have knowledge of his dear former vessel's original identity he would probably blow a blood vessel. Oh to be the fly on that wall… It would serve him right. "Is Nakayama Nagi. Chrome Dokuro is an identity Rokudo Mukuro gave her when they made that contract."

"…."

"…"

"…"

"…Lussu."

"Yes, Squ-chan~?"

"Remind me to kill Mammon when he gets back."

"Of course, Squ-chan~."

"If you know this much about her then you probably know why she's being thrown around in the farthest reaches of the Vongola," Squalo stared at Lal hard. "You're not letting her stay here to spy on us, are you?"

"Of course not; you're allies, not enemies; Sawada wouldn't allow that."

"Seriously though, what is going on?" Squalo growled at her in frustration after a while. "Is something going on in the Decimo's camp that we don't know?"

Lal sighed before turning her eyes back towards her student. "Sorry, I can't help you. I tried asking her about it myself but it was no use. Looks like the only ones who know are the people from Vongola HQ hanging up the phone on you all the time, the Cavallone, Reborn and Iemitsu."

"CEDEF's leader knows?" Squalo's silver eyes widened. "So it must really be a matter of the Family's security then?"

"Perhaps; I don't know," Lal sighed as she continued staring at the oblivious younger woman. "I tried to ask her about it once but… she doesn't want to talk about it."

"Shit."

"Exactly; if you do find out what's going on, call me; I want to know what reason I'm going to give to the Vindice after I strangle Reborn for putting Chrome here with you."

"Hey, it's not like we _want_ her here, woman!" Levi growled at her.

"That's true but for Chrome this is a mission; and unless she gets other orders she won't leave and abandon a mission. She won't leave you even if you kick her out. Now she's stuck here until Reborn gets back," Lal grumped, not noticing the Varia officers exchanging glances with their brows up into their hairlines. "If it were up to me I would take her away from here in a heartbeat."

"What exactly is she, scum?"

Lal felt her blood freezing as Xanxus' rough voice suddenly invaded the room. She turned, her stance already on a defensive but found him in the same spot and in the same state as when he came in to stare at Chrome's face.

Not sure what the Varia boss meant, Lal started warily fishing. "Sorry?"

"Who does she think she is?" He remained unmoving but she could see the tight clenching of his fists as though he was deeply tempted to punch someone; Lal prepared herself to defend Chrome just in case. "How dare she get herself involved in _my_ business while being so weak? If she wanted to die so badly then maybe I should just kill her here myself!"

"NO!" Lal tried to get in between Xanxus and the bed but the Varia boss caught her arm and twisted it around her back then pushed the small of her back with his knee until she was on the carpeted floor, holding her immobile without much effort. Lal knew it would be a mistake to struggle; judging from the scars on Xanxus' face, he was already angry enough. "What do you think you're doing? She's the Vongola's Mist Guardian!"

"What is she?" he growled back at her, effortlessly holding her down. "Why does she act the way she _does_?"

"That's just how she is!" Lal gritted her teeth against the pain. "If Reborn left her here with no specific orders then chances are she's acting how she usually acts when she's with the Decimo and the other Guardians! Protecting you and anybody within the Varia falls under her usual routine when she's not out on assignment! Chrome is a professional and she is loyal to the Vongola!"

"_Bitch_, don't give me that! If it really were just because of the job then why does she risk so _much_? Why did she say she was glad I was _safe_?" he snarled back at her, his yells growing louder with every sentence. "What the HELL does she _want_ from me?"

Lal frowned. She never understood Xanxus even before the man attempted his revolt against the Nono. True he was malicious, dangerous, merciless and brutal but why he was all these and more were beyond her realm of understanding and she thought it was not worth her time trying to understand a traitor and a potential threat to the Vongola's peace. However, as declared by the Decimo, he was still an ally. And as leader of an allied Family, he deserved a measure of respect. Right now it would seem that the Varia Boss had fallen under the female Mist Guardian's trap.

It was said there were two reasons why people commit murder. Money and sex. How men and women would sacrifice everything they had just to possess either one. Although completely unintentional, Chrome had been the object of the latter.

With a horrified sense of foreboding, Lal realized Chrome confused Xanxus and that he was looking for things that aren't there. It wouldn't be the first time a person fell into Chrome's unintentional deception. It wouldn't be the first time someone misinterpreted Chrome's devotion and loyalty and twisted it into something so much more worldly. Lal couldn't believe Chrome's talent was so potent that even someone like _Xanxus_ could fall under her unintentional spell.

"You think there's more to her devotion than there really is, don't you?" Lal asked the scarred man from her position on the floor, disbelief coloring every word. She couldn't help but pity the figuratively hallucinating dark skinned Italian. "You should stop. Chrome has a tendency to be too dedicated. She's not one to hold back in a job and usually involves her personal feelings when she works. It causes a lot of misunderstandings that's why she is seldom given any field assignments other than undercover ones or espionage. Whatever it is you're thinking she's implying by giving you that devotion it's far from the truth! She may be loyal to the Vongola but she's not doing it for _you_!"

She could practically _feel_ his rage run higher at what she just declared.

_Shit, Chrome_, Lal couldn't help but think. _I know you probably didn't do anything but you're definitely knee deep in hot water whether you want it or not._

This level of rage; this passion the Varia boss was well known for. Few had fully seen it go out of control but those who did know; despite appearances that it wasn't easily aroused or doused. Even Squalo and the others were nervous at the sight of it.

"So everything _was_ a lie," Xanxus snarled at her, his grip on her arm tightening even as his scars started appearing. "She was here to play her games on _me_!"

"You don't understand! You've fallen for the illusion by your own will!" Lal sighed in frustration, cursing her student for her complex simplicity. "Chrome doesn't need to lie for anyone to fall for her deceptions! She's the only Illusionist who can't lie to save her life and one of two who doesn't use lies to _deceive_!"

"So she uses an advanced state of trickery?" Squalo took a chance now that his Boss had stopped screaming.

This got everyone to stop and stare at Lal in confusion and Lal sighed again in sheer exasperation. "No. In fact she is the opposite; she's _too_ sincere!"

"Ushishishi… The Prince does not understand."

"All I hear is that she's a lying bitch." Levi scowled at the figure on the bed.

"But…" Lussuria was thoughtful now. "If she _was_ lying… then what exactly was she lying about~? I don't remember any sort of information she was giving us except for the ones with La Justicia Pasada and through all that, despite what we don't know about her, everything else she's told us were all accurate."

"She doesn't lie even if her illusions can deceive! She doesn't need to! That talent of hers isn't even flame related it's just how she is and how others perceive her! She doesn't need to deceive others because others deceive _themselves_ because of her!" Lal shouted back at them as they all turned their glares back towards her. "Everything that you've seen of her is _real_! Her dedication, her kindness and her concern are all _true_! But because of that sincerity, people she works with tend to believe what they want to believe and most of them think Chrome is being completely caring to them because she _wants to be with them_! And because of that they can't help but want her back and more! She's dangerous but she's so innocent she doesn't even know it herself; she's a little bit aware _now_ after a few incidences and after I tried to explain it to her so she tries to distance herself from her charges! But that only seems to make people want her _more_! It's not something she can help!"

Xanxus looked as though he were slapped in the face as understanding crept in his brain.

Squalo gaped at her in the meantime. "So you mean Dokuro wasn't even using her flames whenever she's on assignment as a spy because… people already have a fixed sort of opinion about her?"

"How can she lie to people who had already decided what they want to believe?" she retorted.

It took a moment but Lal felt Xanxus' grip on her loosening slowly. When she was sure she could get away with it, she rolled from underneath his knee and crouch in a defensive position beside Chrome's bed. She was about to attack but was stopped by the stunned look on Xanxus' face that was now staring at the young woman's figure on the bed. Lal wished she could be in his brain at that moment. Whatever it was he was thinking must be very interesting indeed.

It was a tense moment before he finally broke the silence. "Does that… happen often?"

Lal blinked but straightened up before answering in a neutral tone. "So much that Gokudera had to keep her locked in headquarters for a while. Why?"

Xanxus may not be a handsome man but Chrome had always thought he was exceptional. Lal had always thought her student was crazy for thinking that but what her student meant was made clear to her at that moment in time.

He was exceptional because his rage made it so. It put so many emotions on his face that it was hard to keep up with and looking at those emotions were never boring. It was like reading a very open and a very torrid book; a book of horror and pain and rage and more.

If these emotions were put on paper, he would have been a masterpiece.

She watched as Xanxus turned on his heel silently seething and left the room, ignoring Levi's cries and the subordinates that followed him. And Lal was left alone to pray to God that this man was not harboring the kind of interest in Chrome that she was afraid he did. Because she didn't think Xanxus was the kind of man who would let the object of all that emotion fall far away from his reach.

Lal turned back to the bed and checked on the hold she had on Chrome's illusions again and said a short little prayer for the younger woman's safety. Having unwittingly attracted normal men who had fallen under her innocent deceptions was one thing but powerful men like Xanxus was another.

/*****/

Xanxus tossed back another glass of bourbon and welcomed the fiery stream it trailed down his throat. How he wished it could wash away the bitter taste of the realization and sensations running through his mind and body as well as the feeling in his head.

Tricked; but not really. It was all just fucking stupid.

He knew there was something strange about her; he never counted just how strange, though. The woman had him twisted in eight knots a minute the moment she said his name.

_'Xanxus-sama…'_

The scarred man clutched his glass in his hand tightly even as a hungry sensation climbed up from his stomach and made him want to bite his lower lip hard.

_'Please… let me lend you my flame…'_

God he could still feel her arms around him… Feel the breath from her lips while she whispered in his ear… He could still see the genuine happiness as she told him she was glad he was safe…!

His glass exploded in his hand, flaring as his flames made contact with the liquor before that too dissolved into nothingness.

But it was all just a lie; an illusion! He felt like a fool. What was he expecting? When he walked into his room and stared at her while the bitch Lal and his shitty subordinates babbled all he could do was stare at _that woman's_ face and want nothing more than to wake her up. To make her tell him what it was she wanted from him. What she meant by wanting him safe. She made him feel like he was eight years old again and wanting nothing more than the appreciation of a mother who had long since said goodbye to her sense of reality.

Xanxus shot out of his chair restlessly and strode over towards his wide windows, looking out of it even as all his Varia minions worked overtime repairing the damages to his walls. Squalo may be organizing them through shifts but he didn't care as long as they got the job done. It was almost sunrise and working would be easier soon.

For a moment, as he stared at the brightening horizon, he could hear his father's words before he left Montalcino in a fit of rage.

_'Are you in love with her…?'_

Xanxus felt the bitter tang of those words as he was again proven inferior by the cursed Vongola Hyper Intuition.

_'…Loving a woman like her would only bring you pain…'_

The glass covering his window shattered from the force of his fist.

"SHIT! FUCK YOU! I'M NOT! _I'M NOT_! IT'S JUST A FUCK MOTHERING ILLUSION! SHE MEANS NOTHING TO ME; _NOTHING_! I CAN PROVE IT!"

The Varia Boss started marching out of his room, uncaring about the fact that he was merely parading around in his pajama bottoms. He made a straight beeline from his study to his room. The room where he had lain Chrome Dokuro with uncharacteristic care because he didn't know where else to put her. Because it seemed _right_ for him at that time to place her on his bed.

It was a good thing that he met no one in the corridors because the last memory in their lives may have been the sight of a scarred Xanxus walking half naked in the hallways looking like he was marching out for battle.

Yes, he should kill her, his fevered rage fought with the memory of how soft her breasts were against his back… how gently she held him like he was fragile glass… or how sweet her breath was against his skin… How he struggled not to moan when he felt her essence through the flame she had pushed into his body… How nothing existed in the world for him when she first wrapped her misty wings around him… How greedily his senses absorbed her touch like he was some weak mongrel…

The last thought had him clutching at his stomach, shocked at the sheer hunger such a thought inspired in him. It was the kind of hunger that made him want to rush towards the nearest liquor cabinet and milk it _dry_.

She didn't mean _any_ of it! Why did it all matter so much?

"…re you're going to be alright here?"

Xanxus looked up when he heard Lal Mirch's voice. He was surprised to see his own partially opened doors already in front of him. He was so deep into thinking about her he didn't even notice he had arrived in his destination.

"Of course, Lal-shishou," the Varia Boss' hands clenched into fists at the sound of that voice. It sounded so trusting, so clueless he wanted to blast her into ashes right then and there. "You need to focus on getting that bullet over to the researchers and warn everyone of the potential danger. I'm sure what we discovered should give them a vital clue as to how to counteract that chemical. Please send Hayato-san copies of whatever you find immediately; he needs to know how to defend the Boss just in case they decide to attack him."

"I don't know, Chrome," Lal sounded very hesitant. "I don't think it's safe for you to stay here like this. Why don't you come with me back to CEDEF until you've recovered?"

"I can't," Xanxus took a peek from the edge of the barely opened door and his breath caught at the sight of the female Mist Guardian resting on his sheets. She was wearing a white dress, probably something Lal acquired to have the younger woman change into. It emphasized just how delicate she was, so small on something so large. "I have my orders."

"Aren't you scared? This place is not exactly full of sane people."

"I told you, the Varia are not that bad. Especially while they are led by Xanxus."

Her words stopped Xanxus' train of thought faster than a dam being shut against a wave of water.

"Chrome," Lal began a little uneasily after a while. "I've been wondering for a long time now but… why do you say Xanxus' name with such deep respect? Even before you came here, whenever the Varia and his name comes up, you never talk about him like an enemy. You know what kind of person he is, right?"

"Of course."

"Then… why?"

Xanxus leaned in closer; he didn't want to miss a single word of this explanation. Deep inside he needed to hear her answer.

"He is the Varia's Sky." she answered in such a simple way it was frustrating.

"…I don't get it." Lal deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't understand what you see in them! They're violent brutish creatures!"

"I know," she blinked that wide, clear eye of hers innocently before continuing. "But haven't you noticed?"

Lal frowned. "Noticed what?"

Chrome smiled sadly and lovingly fingered the edges of his sheets before answering. "None of them are hypocrites. They are free to be what they want to be because they know he will always accept them for who they are."

Lal gaped at her. "Accept them? More like blow them up if they ever screw up!"

"That's because if they fail they'd get killed," Chrome smiled back at her. "If you read between the lines, you'll see he always acts on the best behalf of the Varia. He understands each and every one of them with such clarity it always amazes me."

"Understand? The man's a _dictator!"_

Chrome just kept on smiling. "He leaves everything to Squalo because he knows Squalo is dependable; I think the main reason he gets so angry that he could not be Vongola Decimo is because he also feels guilty that he cannot give the position as leader of Varia to him the way they planned years ago. He acknowledges Belphegor and generally takes care of him by keeping him from getting into too much trouble because of his tendency to make trouble. He might not show it but he respects Lussuria and appreciates how he provides everyone the support he can't openly provide and Levi… he knows Levi is very loyal to him so he refuses to treat Levi like a dog by humiliating him with petty orders even if Levi-san _is_ more than willing to obey them anyway. He reminds me of the Boss; they are very much alike."

Lal stared at the younger woman in wide eyed wonder; Xanxus did the same.

_What the hell was she talking about?_

"In a society where everyone would shun them, he was the only one who accepted them and encourages them to nurture themselves," she continued, looking at Lal in the eye. "He may not look like it, but he's quite over protective of them. He's amazing, isn't he?"

Xanxus felt his heart stop. She said he was amazing. The only person he had ever heard say that was Levi.

"Overprotective? Are you out of your mind?" Lal exclaimed. "He hears about them dying and _laughs_! You must have been there during the fight for the Rain rings; he laughed when Squalo got _eaten_ by a _shark_!"

Chrome quieted and Xanxus smugly leaned against his doorpost, satisfied that the stupid woman's prattle about him being so amazing was put to a stop. No one could possibly know him so well. No one could possibly be so perceptive or take the time to notice the kind of person he was.

"Do you remember the Ring conflict; when we fought over the Vongola rings? That time when he tried to take the seat of the Vongola inheritance away from Boss?"

Xanxus blinked. That was entirely unexpected.

Lal stopped but answered after a moment. "I wasn't there but Iemitsu made sure that event was properly documented. We have copies of the fights taken by the Cervello in our archives."

"How about the final battle; after Boss won the Sky Ring?"

"Yes, that too."

"Did you see the look on his face while he was shouting out his rage while lying there on the ground after being rejected by the rings?"

The scarred man straightened as his heart threatened to stop and his eyes widened, his pupils completely dilating.

_No; she couldn't be referring to—_

"I have never seen a man so broken hearted in my entire life."

Xanxus swallowed and combed his hair back with a hand; it was then that he had noticed he was shaking again.

He clearly remembered the emotions; the anger, hate, humiliation and defeat he suffered that night. It was doubled when he saw the complete understanding in Sawada Tsunayoshi's eyes when the brat told him of Timoteo's love. He had no eyes for anything else except the rings and Sawada but did she really see? Did she really care enough to look?

"You should have been there, Lal-shishou," her soft voice was like a pair of dull scissors cutting through his emotions. He wanted to scream at her to stop talking but he couldn't utter a word. It was all he could do to keep standing. "He was so desperate. It was then that I realized that beyond acquiring that power, being accepted by the Rings would have been a mere symbol for him… That what he truly wanted was for the Ninth to truly _be_ his father."

_Stop,_ Xanxus wanted to cry out.

"The want in his eyes for that fantasy to come true… It broke my heart…"

_Stop, damn it!_

"It reminded me of those days when all I ever wanted was for my mother to tell me that she loved me… Even if it was only once…"

_I said STOP!_

Silence invaded the room while Xanxus shivered outside wanting nothing more than to punch something. How did she know? How could she possibly understand the workings of his heart? How dare her sit there and dissect him like an insect and pour all her compassion, all her untainted, loving understanding and describe the workings of his _mind_?

The failed Arcobaleno broke it. "You're too accepting of other people's faults; this is the reason why you get in so much trouble."

"Hayato-san says the same thing." The younger woman replied sheepishly.

"You should listen to him more often." Lal deadpanned.

Her soft laughter drained whatever rage Xanxus had in his heart and, try as he might, he couldn't help but look at her face from the sliver of an opening that allowed him to look inside his own room. The smile on her face made his pores cry out wanting to touch her; wanting to feel that same warmth and softness she gave him when she embraced him to help against that damn Spaniard earlier that night.

"Then I'll be leaving later this morning to take the bullet over to the research team," Lal sighed as though giving up on trying to convince her student about the unreasonableness of her opinions. "You have your commlink so contact me if you need me. Don't worry, it's a secure line. I took the liberty of getting you some dresses. That wound needs to heal naturally for now so you won't be able to get into any pants in the meantime; you need to flush the chemicals out of your system completely before you can let Lussuria heal you with his Flames. The remaining toxins doesn't seem to be affecting you harshly but we can't take any chances. Thank God that effeminate Sun Guardian of theirs knows a thing or two about medicine."

"How long do you think it will take, master?"

"Hmm, try it out after a couple of weeks or so."

"Alright."

"Get some sleep," Lal gave the younger woman one her rare smiles. "I'll have Lussuria see what he can do about giving you a pair of crutches in the morning."

"Thank you, Lal-shishou."

Xanxus stumbled away from the room to head back to his study looking like Gyudon kicked him in the head.

Despite his dazed state he knew though; things between him and Chrome Dokuro will never be the same again…

Goddammit.

/*****/

Um... Please Review?


	15. Chapter 15

**Title:****Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme:****Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story:****Stay With Me by Danity Kane** (courtesy of Addicted-to-GazettE)

**Pairing: X96**

**AN**: Don't expect regular updates.

EVERYONE! I WOULD LIKE TO DEDICATE THIS CHAPTER TO **killer0meganekko** WHO HAS MADE AN AMV FOR THIS FANFIC! YOU CAN WATCH THIS AWESOME PIECE AT:

**http :/ / www. youtube. Com / watch ?v = dxqsV-ympZw&list = FL4HZBnva53qlq9phtQg5OZw&feature = mh_ lolz**

AND ALSO TO **SilentiumSemper **WHO HAS CREATED FANART FOR US FOR THIS FANFIC HERE**:**

**http :/ / silentiumsemper. deviantart. Com /art / Between-A-Kiss-and-A-Lie- 294025294**

PLEASE DROP BY AND DON'T FORGET TO TELL THEM HOW AWESOME THEY ARE!

I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! *big hug!*

**Tina**: lol, I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and yes, she is that awesome. About interactions between her and Gokudera… well I'm afraid not much of that will be tackled here; you might need to wait for the 6th book to come out. Thank you so much for the review, dear!

**chokolatito19**: Thank you so much and so here's another reward! I hope you enjoy this as well. I did tell you the fun was just starting right? Lol; Yes, Cornelio will clash with the Varia in a way that he refuses to clash with varying shades of gray. All he knows is that Xanxus is evil and he should die. You're pretty much spot on in how he was seeing Chrome-chan and why he wants to save her. Also he is attracted by her power. It's not hard to be attracted to power.

Aw don't cry, I am happy that my writing could move you to such an extent, though. This is how I have always viewed Xanxus and his relationships with the Varia and how they have evolved since then. Having Chrome see the deception of the very real anger and see the hurt underneath is something I thought a Mist guardian would be able to do.

Well of course it was right of you to think of Tsuna. She has pledged no allegiance to Xanxus other than temporary loyalty. Remember that Lal told Xanxus that Chrome may be loyal to the Vongola but she was not doing it for him? And yes all those hints DO have something to do with why Reborn had taken her away, ushishishi…

**Addicted-to-GazettE**: Hello! Wow, thank you so much for reviewing my story, I am so honored and happy that you are enjoying this! Yeah, if you look into my profile I do enjoy pimping Chrome around lol, hence the other pairings that will come after this one lol. Doesn't hurt that Xanxus is also pretty hot. ;P

Yes, whenever I watch the Ring scramble I can't help but look a bit more deeply into it and I can't forget that hopeful look on Xanxus' eyes as a child the first time he met Timoteo; I think my reasoning here is not that illogical, right? He's a man who takes things into the extreme but there must be some reason why he still kept calling the Varia the 9th's Independent Assassination Squad aside from his eternal hate for Tsuna (which I think has more to do with his pride than anything anyway). And yes, since this is a romance I needed a way to make him a bit more human. Nothing makes a character more human than giving him a history.

Not to worry, they will end up together. You just won't know how yet ^^; But I will do my best to get you there.

I would also like to thank you for the song; it helped me write this chapter. I added it to my playlist and it helped me think quite a bit.

Please cheer up and enjoy this next installment!

**Jao Jao**: LOL it's fine as long as you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for the review! Chrome really didn't have anything against Xanxus, really and Xanxus has no personal beef with her. So with eyes unclouded by contempt I thought it would be reasonable for her to be able to see underneath the crassness. ^^v

**Devil-Queen-Wolf-666**: You will be seeing more of that denial in this chapter lol.

**JustSittin'OnCityRoofTops**: I love your sn, I think it's cool; thank you for the review! No, no, I'm not the one that's awesome *blush*. Thank you for loving the story and I hope you keep on enjoying it!

**killer0meganekko**: DEAREST! *hugs* Seriously, thank you again for the AMV you are an EXTREME ANGEL! I really hope I don't let you down while I write the rest of this story and I hope you'll have more free time to relax soon! Luv ya so much!

**Purplenurpless**: *blush* Gosh, thank you so much! Your speechlessness was very flattering and I hope you continue enjoying the rest of the story. Hopefully I do not disappoint. I have the best I can to keep everyone in character and yes. I too want Chrome and Xanxus to make pretty babies LOL!

**Goddess of the Rain**: Hi! It's so nice to hear from you again! Yes I am so happy you noticed how they're growing, it took a while but I didn't want to rush the interactions for fear they will feel too forced. I am so flattered you noticed *proud grin*.

You almost cried? *hands over tissue* Don't worry it's over now! And of COURSE they'll end up in this story! I'm a sucker for happy endings myself ^^v *blush* I feel so honored that my writing can move you in such a way, really I am happy just hearing you guys are enjoying the fic. Reading about you guys thinking that is food for my plot bunnies lol. Don't worry the other books are in the works so hang in there!

**Indyctator**: *hugs and breathes deeply* I am SO happy you like the story this much. Yes, I love Lal. Among the 3 females of this series my fave girls are ; 2. Lal; and 3.I-Pin. After seeing the TYL arc and her twitching at Squalo's first message I kinda always wondered how these two would be able to interact if they met face to face lol; Lal is truly full of badassery herself and she can keep up with the Varia if she wanted to. Yeah, she does not like Mukuro. I don't dislike Mukuro as much but I have always viewed him and Chrome as more sibling-like than lovers and I thought since Lal is a strict trainer that she would approve of Mukuro keeping Chrome so dependent on him while he was in Vindice. Yes, Lal has a long memory especially when it comes to her students.

ROFL Kyokugen Chrome! That didn't even cross my mind! So funny; I Do hope someone tries to draw that LOL; that'd be hilarious!

Yup; that's Squalo for you. And since Squalo seems to represent Xanxus on several occasions and leads whenever he's not around I always thought he would have had to have some sort of diplomacy skills, right? I mean, someone _needs_ to run things while Xan-chan sits on his lazy ass lol. So yeah, I ship Squalo and diplomacy as well. Besides, it seems that among the Varia he's the most well liked outside the organization. Look at how he made an effort to reach out to Takeshi, right?

LOL I am so happy you liked my imagined background for Chrome. If you think about it it's not too farfetched, right? If her mother was famous enough then why should she not have met royalty? It happened to Gokudera's mom, didn't it?

Mammon… well let's just say he isn't going to get a warm welcome home party lol.

LOL, you really have a beef with Reborn, don't you? I think you're just channeling Lal lol.

Ahh Chrome's trap; I knew you'd be among the first asking about that what with your eye for the details I drop here. I can probably say in all honesty that you are… half right? Kufufufufu

*blush* Thank you for expressing a partiality to my writing style, I always try my best such as it is ^^; And no I am not trying to shift your obsessions but hey, who says you can't have both of them, right? *wink, wink* lol

OH NO! I MADE Indyctator-CHAN CRY! *hands over tissue and blushes* Thank you, I never thought I would move anyone with my writing so much, you honor me. I wrote that part because I needed Xanxus to cross a line and get some things straight (or something like that). Something that would make him sit up straight and regard Chrome for more than just sex. I am so happy his feelings were conveyed properly.

I hope you enjoy this new chapter as well. I will do my best to update earlier.

About my French, THANK YOU! *blush* You really think so? I thought it would be polite to answer in kind; I still have problems with the pronunciations, though; I keep biting my tongue *sheepish smile*. Let's just say that I think there's merit to the rumors about French people being the best kissers in the world. Je vous remercie, mon ami!

**Black Diamond07**: LOL, you think I rule? No, no, you are too kind; But I am happy you are enjoying the story, I hope I won't disappoint in the future. I'll keep on developing their relationship in a couple more chapters and then we'll get to Tsuna's party and THEN we can go all out! Lol

**deadly-chronicles**: *HUGS* Dearest, thank you for your continued support. I am so happy you don't think he was OC or anything like that and I hope you'll keep on falling in love with him; Xanxus needs more love!

**darkfirex199**: Oh wow thank you so much for the review! I'll be working on more chapters so please bear with me; it's been very busy at work and I often come home too exhausted to even write. I'm sorry for the wait and you letting me know you are enjoying this story makes me so happy.

**W**: LOL, yes there will be more interactions between these two, not to worry. I hope I will keep on satisfying you! ^^V

**Dragonbook**: *^_^* Here you are, please keep on enjoying the story!

**BlackAngel'sWrath**: Something going on between Chrome and Gokudera… Well in this fic their relationship is more right hand man and Guardian but if you choose to look more closely… ^_^, anyway, thank you so much for the review, you have made me so happy; please enjoy this new installment!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Please Enjoy! ^_^v**

**Chapter 15**

"Lambo!"

Sasagawa Ryohei stopped in his tracks as he made his way through the Vongola headquarters' gardens to do some morning exercises when he heard the familiar voice of fifteen year old I-Pin and saw her running in a hurry towards another part of the garden. She was so intent on where she was going she didn't even notice him there. Rounding around the corner he saw her stop in front of one of the stone benches where fifteen year old Lambo was lying on, sleeping, still in the clothes he had worn last night when he went out to go clubbing from what Ryohei could see of the cow printed hem of his pants which was distinct enough to get even the usually forgetful boxer to remember.

Ryohei made a mental note to give the young man a little scolding. Tsuna wouldn't like it if their Lightning Guardian caught a cold. Or any sort of lewd sexually transmitted disease. From what he's heard of the kid lately he could actually take his pick.

I-Pin was trying to wake the young man up and both teenagers were hidden behind a thick hedge cut to look like a wall that reached up to Ryohei's shoulder and since the bench Lambo was lying on was right by the entrance of the manicured hedgerow the accomplished boxer could still see the top of I-Pin's head and Lambo's legs hanging off the side of said bench. He came closer and began to make out the beginnings of a hushed up conversation.

"—et UP already! I'm missing a class trip because of you!"

Ryohei smiled at that. He had always loved how diligent I-Pin was. He heard she had successfully been admitted to Touo University in Japan at the age of fifteen and was in Italy for a few days because of a class trip. The entire Vongola Familia could not have been prouder of her.

"Geez, I-Pin, cut me some slack, I was up till four in the morning!"

The silver haired pugilist shook his head at this but kept on smiling. Lambo will always be Lambo and the complete opposite of his childhood friend. Despite the young Bovino's habits of frequently travelling from Japan to Italy several times a year he still kept on being trouble but his natural charm kept him the apple of the Familia's eye.

"And whose fault is that?"

Yawn. "Fine, fine, I'm up, calm down…"

Sigh. "Come on, Lambo this is important, you said Squalo called you about Chrome-nee, right?"

Ryohei froze at that. It was her; that name again.

"Oh yeah, that!" the Varia Rain Guardian's name seemed to have exorcised the sleep out of the young man and he sat up properly on the bench. "He called a couple of nights ago asking about Chrome-san."

_Squalo_? Ryohei thought. Come to think of it, didn't he get a broken voicemail message a couple of nights ago? And why in the world would he be calling and asking around about Chrome Dokuro? As far as he knew the only person who had any dealings with the Varia would be him since Takeshi was too busy training for the league back in Japan.

"And? What did you tell him?" I-Pin demanded fretfully, her dark eyes wide.

"I hung up," the young Bovino told her with a shrug. "I couldn't really answer him, could I?"

"You got that right," the worried look on I-Pin's face eased a little as she sighed in relief again before her face transformed into a scolding one as she turned back to her childhood friend. "Remember your promise."

"I know, I know," Lambo leaned back against the bench's backrest with his hands behind his head. "It would be terrible if a secret like that gets out; especially with Tsuna-nii and Kyoko-nee announcing their wedding date on his birthday next month. Seriously, I didn't think all of this would turn out to be so complicated."

"I know," I-Pin sat beside the Vongola Lightning Guardian sadly. "But we have to protect them. That's what Chrome-nee wanted. I just wish she'd worry more about herself. It's not enough that she's the one sacrificing the most out of all of this now looks like even the Varia wants to get her in trouble."

Lambo peered at the short girl from the corner of his open eye while his other one remained closed. "Should we get help?"

"I don't even know who to get help from; I already told you not a lot of people know. If I make a mistake and try to get help from the wrong person Chrome-nee's efforts would be wasted," the young woman sighed as she buried her face in her hands rubbed in frustration. "I'm so worried about her; she hasn't contacted me in weeks!"

"You're always so worried about her."

"Well if Tsuna-nii is your big brother, Chrome-nee is _my_ big sister; do you think it'll be easier on you if something like this happens to Tsuna-nii too?" she glared at him through her fingers.

Lambo frowned and became silent as he looked up at the blue Italian sky thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again. "You want me to try and ask the Varia where she is? They probably know since they're asking around about her."

I-Pin peeked out of her fingers and looked at her childhood friend. "You said you hung up on _Superbia Squalo_, Lambo. If he sees you again, he'll skin you alive, dry you in the sun and turn you into one of Lussuria's hand bags. I don't think you'll want to be known as The First Bovino Original purse."

Lambo paled and flinched but he tried to hide it by looking away from the young woman sheepishly. "Well what am I supposed to do when you start looking like that? In case you haven't noticed, I don't exactly enjoy the sight of you looking so retarded."

I-Pin's Pinzu was starting to appear on her forehead again but this was stopped when a large shadow fell across their backs. Both of them turned around and paled when they saw the serious face of Sasagawa Ryohei looking down at them from the other side of the hedgerow.

"Hey, you two know what's going on with Dokuro and my sister, right?" the pugilist called out to the two young people who were both standing by now and looking at him like he was the Great Minotaur come to life. Both of the looked they were getting ready to bolt but his steel gray eyes warned them that would be useless. "I want answers; and I want them now."

/*****/

Chrome opened her eyes, blinked blearily and stared into cool semi darkness. This room's curtains were thick; designed to keep out the rays of the sun no matter what time of the day it was. It was a nice room. The decorations were simple and Spartan even though they all screamed luxury by the obvious quality of each and every furniture surrounding her. Even the bed, although simple in design without any elaborate carvings or decorations was soft and comfortable and fairly large; enough to fit four of her; the epitome of Spartan luxury. Everything was nice.

Too bad it wasn't her room.

Nothing in this room could even compare to her nice, comfortable, cold and sometimes damp tower room decorated by nothing but illusions and the rather worn yet comfortably warm mattress in it.

Sitting up she looked around, her eyes again arrested by the dresser in the corner next to the bathroom door where she could clearly see a piece of white sleeve peeking out of the doors. She had noticed it the first time she woke up and saw Lal there with her.

This room was obviously owned by someone else; and she didn't want to inconvenience that 'someone else' any further by staying. She should find a way to get back to her own room and leave a note here to just call her on her mobile phone if they needed her for anything while her wound healed. She doubted if the Varia would have a lot of use to her right now since her flames weren't fully back yet. She only had enough to sustain the organs to keep herself alive.

But how was she going to get out of here when she can't even walk? Should she crawl?

She flopped down and buried her face in the pillow.

Hmm… the pillow smelled good. Familiar and warm and made her feel so safe. Chrome took a deep breath of it and hugged the pillow closer to herself.

_I like this pillow… I wonder if I can get away with smuggling it up to my room…?_

Her head sprang up again at the tempting desire to just lie there and get spoiled by all the spartan luxury. She would never be able to stay still without doing anything; she needed her knapsack and get some of her other work done or at least make the room free for whoever it was who originally owned the place. She needed to keep moving or else the memories were going to drown her again…

Suddenly, something furry and warm landed on her back during her contemplations and Chrome twisted and looked up in surprise to see a mink with covered eyes and Storm flames coming out of its ears and tail looking back at her with a very familiar grin.

She was even more surprised when it chuckled. "Ushishishishi…"

Chrome blinked back at it but it remained still.

"Good morning, piccola duchessa~! I see you've already met Mink, ushishishishi…"

Chrome blinked and looked up. Out of the semi darkness, Belphegor slid out of the shadows like a blond demon about to offer her wishes in exchange for her immortal soul. Other people would have screamed in terror but the young woman smiled at that eeriness. It reminded her so much of her Mukuro-sama. She merely found it odd that, instead of his usual Varia uniform or casual clothes (mostly consisting of everything or anything striped or plain) he was wearing a dark suit, the same he had worn during the Boss' Inheritance Ceremony when the Shimon attacked.

"Good morning," she greeted back as she began to sit up, taking care with her injured leg as she did so. The box animal walked around her and sat on her lap, curling up and snuggling like a cat. She blinked at it once again; it was cute and all but she couldn't help but wonder why it was there. "What's going on?"

The Varia Storm Guardian observed her and noted how, even in the dim light of the morning, her bare shoulders glowed like moonlight and how her eye gazed back at him with sleepy softness. Perhaps her lips— tinged pink with warmth— was the only indication that she was not a porcelain doll or a marble statue placed on the wide bed to be painted by an artist. And her hair looked so soft tousled the way it was around her face and shoulders that it was all he could do not to reach out and touch her to see if she was real. All in all he understood the reason for her perfection now.

And that was because she was royalty just like him.

"Nothing much! The Prince just wanted to see you first thing this morning!" Bel replied, still grinning his wild, wide grin. "That teacher of yours just left, by the way."

"I see," Chrome nodded her head, a solemn expression on her face. "That's good; we should have results done sooner then."

"You know, while you were unconscious, she told us some really nice things about you," Bel continued, crouching beside the bed she was on and looking up at her reminding Chrome of a large puppy trying to get its master to wake up. "She told us a little bit more about you too."

"Oh?" Chrome blinked again despite all the staring. "What did she say?"

"That you actually have royal blood in your veins!" Belphegor exclaimed excitedly. Chrome was pretty sure that were his eyes visible they would have been sparkling the way Lussuria's did behind his glasses whenever he got wind of a 30% off sale from a Dolce and Gabbana boutique. "That you're a duchess like the Prince is a prince!"

Chrome blinked at that and straightened up further, wondering where this was all leading. Mink remained content where he was. "Oh. You mean my file?"

"That's right!" Bel hissed and leaned in closer towards her with that expression that would have made any normal person back away to preserve their own little personal bubble but Chrome merely blinked at the self proclaimed prince in confusion. "Why have you never told us that you were a princess, Chrome-cha~an?"

"Nobody asked." She answered matter of factly, her gaze never wavering.

"Royal blood isn't something you should keep secret~," Bel was still grinning so wide Chrome silently thanked goodness the curtains were still closed or she would have been blinded by all that sparkling white teeth. "Us royals should announce it to the world and separate ourselves from the peasants so we can put them in their places! It is our duty!"

"It's not that simple," the female Mist Guardian said with a small, sad smile on her face. Seeing Belphegor so enthusiastic about something was a little bit like watching Lambo getting all worked up about his grape candies when he was younger. "My parents didn't want me."

The wide smile dropped off the blonde's face and he stared at her through his long bangs for a moment before speaking again. "What do you mean?"

Chrome struggled to make her smile a little bit perkier but it merely came out strained. "My father's family made it clear that they will never approve of their marriage and my father would be disinherited if he married my mother."

"Of course," Belphegor replied loftily. "True royalty would _never_ allow peasant blood to mix with theirs."

"And yet here I am."

"And yet here you are… A phenomenon. A demi goddess!" the grin was back and he started leaning closer to her again. "Chrome-chan, won't you let me cut you up~?"

"Eh?"

"The Prince wishes to see what the color the blood of a half peasant, half royal person looks like~," the blond Ripper took out one of his signature knives and began to run it down Chrome's bare shoulder delicately while he panted in a way that said he was sexually aroused. A fact that made Chrome blush to the roots of her hair even as she held still, trying to decide what to do about the matter. "Come on now, Chrome-chan; don't be shy—"

"Bel! So here you are! I told you not to pester Chrome-chan!" Lussuria's scolding effectively cut through the growing tension like a hot knife through butter as he entered the room with a breakfast trolley rolling in front of him. He too was wearing a similar formal dark suit just like the Ripper Prince. "And put that away! You know the Boss will never forgive you if you stain his bed sheets~! It would be next to impossible getting the stains off the mattress and he happens to like that one! It's the only one he hasn't tried to burn or shove down Squalo's throat yet~!"

"Ushishishi… The Prince was just curious," Belphegor replied while flipping the knife in his hand and hiding it along with his infinite stash and then lying on his forearms that were still resting on the bed. "I've been waiting for her to wake up, right, Mink?"

The little box animal replied with its own 'ushishishishi…' chuckling.

Chrome blinked down at it, fascinated.

"Eh?" Bel seemed amused by her reaction. "Are you so amazed by the Prince's box animal that it has rendered you speechless, piccola duchessa?"

"Well… this is the first time I've seen a box animal _chuckle_," Chrome poked the little animal on the tip of its nose with her fingertip. "It's… unusual."

"_Of course_!" Bel shrugged with his grin full bloom. "A Prince needs extraordinary things to mark himself as extraordinary; this skill is what sets him apart from the other lowly box animals!"

"…Chuckling is a skill?"

Bel was about to say something else when Lussuria tugged him away from the bed by the scruff of his suit and practically landed on a heap on the carpeted floor due to the Varia Sun Guardian's insane physical strength while the tri colored haired man took his place at Chrome's bedside. "Don't mind him, Chrome-chan, why don't you eat breakfast now so you can get better sooner~?"

"The Prince is going to make you pay for that, perverted peacock." Belphegor smirked, a vein practically popping out of his temple.

"Oh shut it, you know I'm right. Ignore him, Chrome-chan; it's the inbreeding, you know?" Lussuria stage whispered to her from behind his hand as he leaned down towards her. "They get so thick the gene pool gets mutated into something like _that_."

"Peacock…"

"VOI! What the _fuck_ are you guys doing in _here_?" They all turned to see Squalo walking in, hair tied back into a low ponytail over his right shoulder and wearing the same attire as the others. "Lussu, where the hell's breakfast? The men are already waiting!"

"Don't worry, everything's all done, Squ-chan," Lussuria straightened and smiled sweetly back at the silver haired man. "I've already given the grunts orders to serve the others in the barracks when they come in, they should be eating by now~. I was just here to give Chrome-chan her breakfast~."

Chrome blushed again in confusion and wariness; she wasn't expecting such hospitality from the _Varia_ of all people. "I'm sorry… You don't have to do this."

All eyes turned to her; a grin from Belphegor, a glare from Squalo and a fond squinty look from the blushing Varia Sun Guardian.

"Oh don't worry about it, Chrome-chan," Lussuria clapped his hands together excitedly. "While you're recovering _I_ will take care of you and check on your wound so we can find out when to try out Pea-chan's flames~! The sooner you can get out of bed, the better~."

"Yeah, you'd better," Squalo growled as he came closer, his sword gleaming on his arm. "Being incapacitated doesn't mean you're going to be dead weight around here."

"Um… I don't follow, Commander…" Chrome answered uncertainly.

Squalo sighed, grumbled and growled some more. "You can't walk but your hands still work, don't they?"

"Squalo, sweetie, you know I love you and all that but please tell me you're not thinking what I think your thinking?" Lussuria frowned.

"VOI! What's wrong with that? If she's free loading she should at least earn her stay and her place here!"

Lussuria sighed. "Why can't you just admit that you wanted to check up on her instead of making up all these excuses?"

"VOI, SHUT UP!"

Chrome struggled to hide her anxiety as they argued. She didn't want to become a burden to anyone, least of all the Varia. She didn't want to give them an excuse to throw her out. "…Then what do you suggest I do, Commander?"

"Squalo."

Chrome blinked again. "…Sir?"

He was looking away with an expression that, had Chrome seen it on anyone else's face, would have been sheepish. "You're out of uniform and basically off duty so just fucking call me by my fucking name, woman; just call me Commander when we're out on a mission."

She bit her lower lip to keep herself from telling him he _was_ part of her mission to keep the Varia safe.

"That's right! You can call me Lussu-nee! Everyone does!" Lussuria cooed in agreement, his pinky out and smiling at her in a motherly fashion.

"You may call The Prince Your Majesty!"

Squalo bopped Bel on the head. "Can it, punk or I'll make her call you a malnourished, stinky piece of—!"

"Humph! Us people of royal blood can never be so crass!" Bel frowned up at his long haired commander. "Just the kind of language one can expect from a lowly peasant!"

Squalo rewarded him with another bop on the head and a glare. "VOI! Do I look like I care about your motherfucking royal blood, trash?"

"Boys, we're steering off topic here~"

"What the fuck do you failed abortions think you're doing in my room?"

Everyone froze at the quiet growl and Chrome looked up to see Xanxus glaring at them from above his nose, his crimson eyes flaring like fire as he stood just outside to his door to his threshold, Levi not far behind him and glaring right straight at her. She wondered what she did to garner that level of animosity from the Varia Lightning Guardian. But her concern for Levi A Than was forgotten when she focused her eyes on the Varia boss and saw his bloodshot eyes. He looked like he had not gotten a wink of sleep and though his glare hid it well; it was obvious he was tired.

No wonder Levi was worried. She couldn't help but stare at him wondering what it was that had troubled him so. Was it Cornelio and how much of a threat he has become with his weapons and that dying will flame douser he was using to prevent them from using flames? Or was it something else entirely?

He reminded her of the Boss. She felt the urge to reach out to him and touch his face. Ask him what was wrong so she could fix it…

Chrome blushed at the thought and wondered what was wrong with her. But then she just wanted to help him right? It wasn't like she hadn't done the same for the Boss and Hayato before...

Then she realized what he just said and Chrome began to blush even more deeply. So this was _his_ room?

"Oh, good morning, Xan-chan~," Lussuria greeted him cheerfully, bright as the sun itself. "We were just talking to Chrome-chan and Squalo wants her to work while she's recuperating. Will you please tell our esteemed Strategy Commander here that Chrome-chan should rest and be excused from the job _he's_ supposed to be doing anyway?"

Squalo flinched before recovering. "VOI!"

"The Commander wants to slack off~ ushishishi…"

"SHUT UP, YOU FUCK MOTHERING MUTATION!"

"You lot SHUT UP!" Levi joined in on the fray. "Can't you see the Boss can't care less?"

Chrome took a peek at Xanxus even as the arguments rolled on inside the room and she wondered how the dark skinned Italian could resist rubbing the bridge of his nose from all the tension he must be storing up inside him. She should end it before this got worse and judging from the way Xanxus' hand was already reaching for his guns this would end up in more property decimation.

"I don't mind." Everyone fell silent at the sound of her soft voice and turned to look at her with varying degrees of incredulity. Even the knot on Xanxus' brow smoothed over when he set his eyes back towards her again. She gave them a small, shy smile as she ducked her head before continuing. "I don't mind helping with the paperwork while I'm recovering. Comm— Squalo has other duties right now and he would need all the help he can get; I am more than willing to assist you."

Silence filled the air.

And the Lussuria broke it with his adoring cooing, hands together under his chin and doing a wiggly dance with his body that made him look like he was doing the Worm while standing up. "Chrome-chan is so~o cu~te!"

"Ushi, I think your kindness is wasted," Bel grinned back at her haughtily. "The Commander will work you to the bone if you don't watch out; you should just hang around with the Prince; The Prince will show you a good time!"

"Bel, I don't think cutting her up just to see what her blood looks like is not a very good example of 'fun'."

"Ushishishi…"

"Tch," Xanxus smirked at her coldly from right above his nose, a hand on his hip as he looked down on her. "And how are you going to get around the place with a busted leg? Don't tell me you're gonna fly around like a goddamned pixie?"

"Oh my~" Lussuria blanched as if remembering something. "Sorry, Chrome-chan, I forgot about your crutches! The medical bay was done in after the last attack and it's going to be a while before we can get anything shipped in other than construction materials for the castle!"

"Oh…" she looked downcast and thoughtful for a moment as though she were trying to think of some sort of solution before she gasped and looked up at them again. "Please don't worry about me; the reconstruction of headquarters should come first no matter what."

Xanxus stared at her for a bit while half listening to his officers' bickering. It was clear she was not going to ask them for any sort of advice and will try to find a solution on her own. He swore after last night that he was going to avoid her and free himself from this illusion she had set up around him but she was… kind. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't find a reason to blame her.

Besides if he left Squalo with everything around here after that attack then it's possible his second in command would topple over and die due to exhaustion Varia quality or not. So it's alright to do his job as a boss and look out for his men, right?

"Woman," he began and her eyes automatically met his, his shitty subordinates also quieted down to hear what he was going to say. He wondered if there would ever come a time when she would look at him in fear. And why did he find that thought suddenly so distasteful? "You really want to work?"

"I don't mind," Chrome nodded. "I like working. It keeps my mind off… things."

She looked away and failed to see Xanxus' eyes narrow towards her at her words but instead of commenting about it, he merely glared at his officers, cocked one of his guns and growled. "Squalo, leave the paperwork in my office. And if you fucktards don't get out of my room in five seconds I will roast you where you stand."

"Voi, fine! We'll wait out back for you then." Squalo snarled back as he began to walk out of the room followed by Lussuria and Belphegor. "Later, Dokuro."

"Chrome, sweetie! Don't forget to finish your breakfast, alright~?"

"The Prince will come by later to play with you again; come on, Mink."

The little box animal got up from Chrome's lap and rushed towards its master, transforming back into his Varia ring the moment it leaped towards the blond in a flash of Storm flames.

Levi merely shot her another warning glare before following the rest out of the room.

Chrome watched them go, her curiosity heightened by their unspoken agreement as though all this had been preplanned. Then again these plans may have happened last night while she was unconscious but then shouldn't the commander have at least told her what they were planning on doing since he already came by to tell her he was going to make her do some of the paperwork while she was recovering?

Her thoughts were disturbed by the wardrobe slamming shut and her gaze shifted up to see Xanxus with his uniform jacket in his hand. Their eyes met as he turned towards the bathroom and he stopped. "What?"

Chrome blinked. Was it her imagination or was this atmosphere just a little bit awkward? "Nothing, Xanxus-sama I just…"

She didn't notice the way his jaw tensed when she said his name or the way his fingers twitched tightly around his uniform as though he were trying to hold something back. "Well? What is it? Spit it out."

"I… I just wanted to know why everyone is out of uniform today," she finally managed to ask. "Is there some sort of occasion I forgot?"

She almost flinched at the scale of the glare he gave her but Chrome held her ground. For a moment she thought he was going to walk out on her but then he looked away, a scowl still etching his strong jaw. "Have you ever gone to the back of the castle?"

Chrome blinked again. This answer was unexpected. "I haven't. It wasn't part of the map Mammon-san gave me and I didn't have the luxury to look."

"It's a vacant space," he continued. "It's where we bury our dead."

Realization hit her like a smack to the face reminding her strongly of her and M.M.'s first encounter with each other as she recognized the implications of those few words. "Did the Varia lose a lot of men this time?"

"Save your pity for someone who cares," he growled back at her, trying to resist the softness in her gaze. "The Varia remain the strongest because we retain those who do not die easy; anyone else who can't live through what we do doesn't deserve to live."

Chrome's eye widened. She had always heard the Varia proudly declare those words as though it was some sort of creed but this was the first time she fully understood it. "I see… So even the Varia bury their dead."

"Of course; it's not like we enjoy smelling their rotting corpses around us," he growled back at her gruffly, watching her intently from the corner of his eye. "Most of these motherfuckers don't have any family to go back to and their bodies are usually too mutilated for a school to use them. Dumping them in the garbage would be too conspicuous so why not just bury the sons of bitches."

"Oh..."

"You disapprove?"

Chrome's eye widened a little and she looked up. In those velvet red eyes she could see a hint of… trepidation? As though he were afraid of her disapprobation and yet trying not to care; but she decided she must be imagining things. Who was she that a man like Xanxus would think her opinion mattered in any way?

Nevertheless she gave him a reassuring smile and a little shake of the head. "No, I guess this is to be expected of you."

His glance turned wary. Like an abused lion which had spent too long in a lion tamer's cage and was now being offered freedom. "…Explain yourself."

Her smile turned a bit wider. Like a subdued child who had just cleverly solved a problem and she knew it. "I understand why the Varia is known as the strongest now."

He narrowed his eyes at her and leaned his hip against the wardrobe, interested in what she was about to say. "What do you mean?"

Chrome nodded serenely before explaining, oblivious to the excitement shining in her eyes captivating the dark skinned Italian. "People talk, you know? They think you guys decide on who's strong or not by pitting them against each other in a process of natural selection or pit them against an officer; whoever lives over a certain time limit gets to pass."

Xanxus snorted at that. Chrome hid a smile at his amusement. "And? What do _you_ think?"

"At first I thought it was about the same although my theory included you all putting them through some sort of rough, rigorous training first _before_ any sort of selection," she replied with guileless honesty. "But when I started working here with you I noticed Commander Squalo is always on the look out for new members and he never turns away rookies no matter how weak they seemingly were as long as they were willing and as long as they understood that traitors would not make it out of here alive.

"To my observation, he usually puts more of an eye towards unwavering loyalty and places strict force on obedience," she continued thoughtfully. "Anyone who even seems disobedient is literally cut down in missions and not even because of the Commander's sword but because of their own arrogance and carelessness."

"…You don't think those fucktards are just a bunch of suicidal maniacs?"

"If they were then they wouldn't be so careful about not making you angry."

Xanxus snorted.

Chrome merely smiled. "And Squalo takes care of everything very carefully for you; those aren't the actions of people wanting to die early."

He raised a brow at her in question. "How do you figure that?"

"Paperwork."

He raised a brow at that.

She smiled wryly in response. "You can tell a lot about an organization through their paperwork. The more organized it is the more stable a group will be. Any form of difference would be noted quickly and investigated and with a world like ours it usually means betrayal and blood. If you search far enough you can tell enough to know when and what kind of tribulations a group or a company had to go through in the past if you know what to look for."

"…Did that bitch Lal teach you that too?"

Chrome blinked up at him innocently, her honesty unmistakable even now. "Reborn-san did…"

"Ah," he looked away again, towards the door he should have been stepping out of long ago. "And how about our group? How do you find it?"

Her gaze softened and Xanxus swallowed the warmth bubbling in his throat because of it. "The Varia is strong."

The simple but sure way she had declared it made Xanxus smirk proudly to himself in satisfaction and he tried to hide it from her by ducking into his bathroom to change and shower. Now that he knew she would never lie he could ask her anything he wanted and he would not have to think whether or not she was just putting on a show.

He wondered why he came back here. If he wanted to he knew he could have just used Squalo's room to take a damned shower and he could have sent Lussuria to pick up his clothes. The peacock knew enough not to get him anything that sparkled or glowed in the dark after he burned that purple vintage sequined Michael Jackson blazer the idiot tried to give him as a birthday present eight years back. He was supposed to be giving himself a bit of space from her right? He was supposed to be looking for a way to be free of her influence. Killing her was not an option anymore not after what he had discovered last night and since he can't kick her out avoiding her was the only other option.

Xanxus huffed bitterly at the thoughts running in his head.

He never thought he of all people would attempt to run away from anything. Least of all a woman. What a joke.

But he couldn't help it, just as he couldn't help but be drawn here in this room this morning. For once he did not reprimand Levi when the annoying bastard followed him like an annoying dog; somehow he needed a buffer to brace himself with before entering her presence again; he had never been more unsure of something in his life. He couldn't help it after hearing her last night speak of his fucking subordinates and himself. He didn't know if he can look at his officers again without her words ringing in his mind like a fucking dinner bell.

When he saw her lying in the middle of his bed looking so deliciously warm and soft he was grateful his shitty officers were already surrounding them. He wasn't sure what he would have done if he were alone knowing she wanted nothing more to do with him other than do her fucking job. If he reached out for her and she looked at him fearfully like any of the other women he approached he might…

"Fuck it." Xanxus shut the shower closed and dried off.

He was better than this, he thought. She was here to help out so the least he could do was be civil towards her, right? He didn't have to but she deserved the extra courtesy from him. She understood the Varia; she understood him and helping her out so she could help the rest of his fucking excuse for subordinates would be to his advantage. And Xanxus might not be the most active person on the face of the planet but he can see a winning situation when it presented itself.

Trouble is the winning situation was too good to be true and though he would never admit it he was afraid he would fall headlong into the trap she presented. To be seduced by her kindness and her devotion into wanting her for himself.

But if he could somehow fight it off and let her go once Reborn came back for her wouldn't he be renowned further for being strong enough to beat her spell? Her trap that had snared men who were known to be strong in their own rights?

Yes, being courteous to her and attending to her while she was here would be advantageous to him; he just needed to figure out how to use her efficiently. Squalo gave him the perfect opportunity by presenting the paperwork problem but he suspected his second in command was mainly doing this to keep Dokuro from getting bored out of her mind. He had never known Squalo to quibble over paperwork even if it irritated him beyond bearing. It was just a part of the job to make Varia strong. It was alarming how the long haired bitch managed to figure out how Dokuro's brain worked before he did, though.

Stepping out of the bathroom all dressed he found Dokuro finishing her breakfast obediently. Her consideration for Lussuria's hard work pleased him and she didn't act like most women in her situation who would probably initially hesitate long and hard before obeying or taking anything from his Sun Guardian. The Peacock might not have a paper heart but Xanxus observed how the tri colored haired man had developed a preference for Dokuro. Her rejection would have made the miserable cocksucker sulk.

"You done with that?" he asked her finally when she drank the last of her milk away.

She looked up and blinked once before nodding.

Fucking woman was so different from the noisy shit he had to deal with here in the castle. He threw her the black long coat of his old Varia uniform without so much as a by your leave and watched her catch it. "Wear that."

Again, she blinked at him then at the coat. He thought she was going to ask other irritating questions but she surprised him again by obeying him unconditionally. He looked away at the sight of her breasts thrusting forward as she pushed her arms into his coat's sleeves. When he looked back she had tied the sash to hold the coat together, the dark material making her skin glow like moonlight. She was practically swimming in it and he observed her folding the sleeves up to her elbows to give herself more freedom. The contrast of colors that actually seemed to belong together held him spellbound for a few moments until she began to shift uncomfortably under his quiet stare.

He cleared his throat before beginning to speak. "You said you don't mind working, right?"

She nodded quietly, seemingly curious about what he was about to do.

"Fine." He approached her and surprised the woman by lifting her off the bed bridal style.

She was so surprised she squeaked a little and clutched the front of his shirt in alarm. "X-xanxus-sama?"

He didn't answer her, instead striding confidently and effortlessly out of the door and off into the opposite wing of the castle. He had to concentrate on where he was going instead of the heavenly scent of night blooming jasmines coming from her hair or how practically weightless she was in his arms. When he held her like this the night before the moment she lost consciousness after helping him he thought he was just imagining things or the adrenaline was screwing with his senses but now… it felt like he was carrying a damn bird. A soft, fragrant _damned_ little bird.

As he walked down the hallways of the castle he waited for her to protest yet again and ask questions but she remained still. Trustingly leaving him to do what he wished in a way that Xanxus couldn't help but be touched by. He had known no one but his subordinates to blindly allow him to lead them wherever he chose to go and to have this little woman grant him such trust… Didn't she understand how amazing she was just for simply letting him hold her like this? Did she even realize that he could count on one hand the number of women who would allow themselves to be held by him without flinching or trying to get away?

_Aren't you scared? This place is not exactly full of sane people_…, he remembered Lal asking her last night.

_I told you, the Varia are not that bad. Especially while they are led by Xanxus._

_Chrome, why do you say Xanxus' name with such deep respect…?_

_He is the Varia's Sky…_

Xanxus glanced at the top of her head and felt his step falter when he felt the desire to bury his face in it even as his heart skipped a beat and painfully reminded him he was still alive. He hurried his footsteps until he arrived in his office instead, fighting the temptation. He kicked a comfortable chair from the corner of the room towards the front of his desk and set her down on it. He usually made sure he had no chairs in front of his desk, he didn't want anyone who entered his office to think they were welcome there, after all, but this was a special occasion. No, it was a necessity.

"This is my office." He told her when he saw her eying her surroundings curiously. Her gaze promptly returned to him. "From now on, until you can walk on your own again you're working here on Squalo's fucking paperwork."

She tilted her head to the right, her wide eye questioning. "Is it really alright, Xanxus-sama…? I don't want to disturb you."

"Tch; I wouldn't mind fighting the fucking baby off but my reputation wouldn't be worth dog shit if I left you around unsupervised," he turned his face away gruffly, mentally questioning himself if he had already lost his mind. Grimly, he blamed it on his growing headache. "Besides, that bitch Lal made it clear what kind of trouble you are and I can't afford you seducing my men into going insane because of you."

Her surprised eye and the way she lowered her gaze in guilt told him she was ashamed of that 'skill' to unknowingly seduce any hot blooded man. Clearly it was not something she was proud of. It confirmed Xanxus' theory that she had not intentionally used anything to make him desire her in any way. That was his own fault.

He fucking hated her for it.

"Let me make it clear," he stood in front of her now and she looked back up at him. Watching her now Xanxus was reminded of a kicked puppy. "I don't trust you. I am not letting you ruin the Varia because of your stupid little 'talent' so I'm going to be watching you closely from now on. I won't let you slow me down so I'll be picking you up from that room and taking you here to work until you can walk on your own again, got that?"

She nodded at that, trying to keep her face neutral but her sadness shone through it. Xanxus refused to feel guilty but he was surprised he felt any at all for her. This innocent who had never really wanted to harm him and his. Who even sacrificed her limbs just to help him. This woman who was a symbol of everything he despised…

"Xanxus-sama, about your room," she asked a bit hesitantly, taking his attention away from his brooding once again. "I don't want to be more of a burden so perhaps I should move to another room around—"

"No."

"But—"

"My room and Squalo's are the only rooms around here that you can possibly sleep in without having to worry whether or not you'll live to see the next morning."

"But my room is pretty secluded and it should be safe enou—"

"If you're talking about the tower room, you can forget it; I had them tear it down." he cut her off, telling himself he was enjoying the look of disappointment on her face. "Besides, I told you I am not letting you slow me down so don't think I'll go all the way up those thrice damned stairs just to fetch the likes of _you_."

"...I see," she nodded again, her face downcast but her smile was grateful. Xanxus twitched wondering what was going through her head and what she thought about what he was doing. Did she think he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart? God, he hoped not. "I understand and I apologize but where are you going to sleep?"

He scowled at her. "I'll manage."

She looked concerned for him now. "Please, Xanxus-sama, don't inconvenience yourself for my sake."

He crossed his arms over his chest against her worried tone. "Mind your own fucking business."

"You already have a headache; it will get worse if you don't get enough sleep."

He blinked and frowned at her for that. "How do you know I have a headache?"

Her worry did not decrease but a fascinating blush grew on her cheeks. "It's in the way your veins are throbbing on your temple. And earlier when you lifted me up I felt that your shoulders were tense too." She bit her lower lip for a bit and Xanxus couldn't help but swallow hard when he saw the plump little bit of moistened flesh released from her clenched teeth. "I know a way to make it go away."

_This is a bad idea_, Xanxus thought as he swallowed again and stuttered internally. _He should have dumped her in Squalo's office, not his if she kept on acting this desirable he might…_

His jaw tensed again in denial.

No, he was _not_ thinking about kissing her. She was _not_ trying to seduce him, this was all in his head and he needed to think with his damned _brain._ Think of this as endurance training. He was better than this bullshit.

His salvation came in the form of a ream of papers all neatly piled up on his desk. He took it and dumped them in front of the disturbing woman and shoved one his pen holders towards her, careful not to get too close for fear he might do something he'll regret.

Like touch her and never let her go.

"Get to work." He shot back at her as he strode out the room, his back towards her to hide his perturbed expression. "And I better not find out you invited anyone else here or I'll have your head."

He didn't need to wait for her response, he had already slammed the door closed behind him but remained leaning against it for a while. He needed a few moments to calm down. He couldn't afford to have anyone take a look at the pathetic expression on his face right now no matter what. Why won't his heart stop beating so loudly?

_She didn't mean it_, he reminded himself as he took a deep calming breath, held it in for a minute before releasing it again slowly. Slowly the beating quieted and he managed to feel confident about himself again after running his palm over his face. _She didn't mean any of it. Calm down._

He would never admit how much he wanted to take her up on her offer just to see what she would do. He can't stop looking at her, searching for that approval in her gaze every time he said something. She made it so hard for him to want anything else beyond the reverence and respect he remembered shining in her eyes while she was talking about him last night. He needed to understand that was all there is to her concern and nothing more. He would be nothing more in Chrome Dokuro's eyes other than a duty and the great Boss of Varia.

Xanxus started to move away from the door but as he turned on his heel his eyes shot towards the door's handles.

Should he lock it? He didn't want any sort of scum touching her the way he had done just then. He didn't want anyone else enjoying how good she smelled or feel how soft she was. Locking her in would be fitting for such a small, soft scented, little bird…

Xanxus flinched at what he was thinking. Just what the hell did he think she was?

_His?_

He snorted and resolutely turned on his heel and left. Ignoring the hungry pounding in his belly at the thought of the word. Ambitious he may be but he was also a realistic man. Women like her did not come free to men like him. Besides…

It's not like she was worth it. She was deception at its finest.

Even though that woman was faultless. Even though he now knew it was the people around her in this godforsaken world that wanted to taint that purity and he was no different... Stupid woman needed to be looked after and taken care of.

Well he guessed he had no choice as long as she's here with him.

He wondered why that didn't irk him as much as he'd have liked it to...?

God he needed another drink.

/*****/

Um... Please Review...?


	16. Chapter 16

** Title:****Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme:****Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story:****Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**AN**: Don't expect regular updates. Also, let me just say something about the latest KHR Chapters… (takes deep breath and…)

**CHROME-CHAN IS MY LADYYYYYY! WHOOHOO! You GO, GIRL~!**

Reviews Response:

**lady madland**: My precious Morgana! (hugs squeeze) Again I welcome you back and sincerely hope you are recovering well. I really can't tell you how much of an emotional roller coaster you put me through when you told me about what happened to you. Please be safe. Always. I mean it. As my 100th reviewer you deserve a reward and you requested that I push 8096 first instead if 3396. Unfortunately, even before we began corresponding killer0meganekko has already had my promise for the 3396 and that was before she even knew I existed. I merely reviewed her fic which was the inspiration for the 3396 plot that I am working on along side this X96 hoping I'll be able to update faster.

**Hopelesslyhope**: Why thank you; I'm glad you think so ^_^; Thank you so much for the compliments, I don't think I deserve any of them but I will do my best to live up to them.

**Addicted-to-GazettE**: Yes, that song helped very much lol; I'm off to review your other fics now that I have the time! Thanks so much for leaving me a review; I think Lambo would make a very handsome purse. All leathery and cow printed lol

**Dragonbook**: (catches doughnuts) Thanks ^_^ *munch munch*

**Wiznoy**: Thanks you for the review and DON'T YOU WORRY! Everything shall be revealed later on; just keep on tuning in, my friend!

**deadly-chronicles**: Ah, my dear I LOVE your new avatar! I just wanted to give you my shout out now, you already know how much I luv ya! Now I'm off to read your amazing fics and review them! Lol And thank you; yes 100 reviews means a lot. I really can't believe I've gone this far lol; the fact that you had a hand in this makes me really grateful because I respect you as a writer.

**SeaofDreams13**: *blush* Really? Thank you! I try to really keep them in character and many will be surprised in real life that I can curse so much; I'm actually a really quiet and polite girl. Kidna like Yuki in Karekano lol

**BlackAngel'sWrath**: *hugs* So happy you are loving this story; I can't give you any kyoko and Tsuna yet but here ya go! *tosses Hibari to BlackAngel'sWrath*; Please enjoy him ^-^v

**JustSittin'OnCityRoofTops**: Thank you! (hug!) I sincerely like your sn; I think it's really cool and original. Like it belongs in a song or something ^-^v You think so? I hope; I really want to rush it so I can get to Tsuna's birthday already lol; keep on reading and I hope you keep on enjoying it.

**BlackDiamond07**: UWAAAHHHH! I didn't mean to! Lol Hope this chapter makes up for that, dear lol.

**Indyctator**: My dear Indy-chan! Well you already know you are precious to me so what can I say? Thank you for leaving me a review! ^-^

**Tina**: Isn't it, isn't it? It looked like a trailer for the fic, right? She was so sweet, I'm so happy you liked it too! Yeah, I-Pin is practically Chrome's first official friend in the Vongola and I-Pin is childhood friends with Lambo and they have always been partners in crime so to speak so I thought this would be a great opportunity to spill the beans. Muwahahahaha I admit you were PARTLY right BUT I like playing twister lol. Your theory has merit, though. And the other books are like versions of Chrome's life; although running in the same time line they will start and end differently with the same Chrome. Kinda like Au but not really. You'll know what I mean when I post it. Don't get jealous of him, you'll see, you'll catch up. I just needed him to know for a reason. ROFL! Yeah, Xanxus the tsundere; guess there's no other explanation for it lol; Oh! So you're a 5996 fan too? Oh boy do I have a treat for you when that book comes around…

**ebi bluenerd**: LOL I love how you reacted to each and every one of the Varia! I love I-Pin and Lambo too; I ship them. And yes, Xanxus is fighting against Mother Nature. Thing is he should remember that we are Ma Nature's bitches and his feelings for Chrome are just inevitable. I hope you will like more of their interactions in this chapter. ^-^ Keep on reading and I hope you wil enjoy my other books once I post them.

**hizume5996**: LOL ANOTHER 5996 fan! Oh gosh, believe me if I could post them right now I would; however Xanxus' book is the first book so a lot of things will be revealed here first that might blow the cover off the other books so please be patient until I finish this book and then we'll see. And thanks so much for adding me as a favorite author. You being a 5996 fan reading my X96 makes me more flattered ^-^

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Please Enjoy! ^_^v**

**Chapter 16**

"Ah, good morning Hibari!"

Hibari Kyouya stopped in the middle of boarding his pitch black Rolls-Royce Phantom, Kusakabe opening the door for him at that moment when he heard someone call his name. Up from the pathway that led to the shrine was the figure of Yamamoto Takeshi walking up to him with his long legged stride, sheepishly scratching the back of his head while wearing that usual idiotic grin on his face. The Cloud Guardian sometimes wondered if the younger man ever needed to massage his face after a long day of smiling stupidly like that.

This appearance made him curious; it wasn't often that Yamamoto Takeshi sought him out. His respect for his younger kouhai had carried on well into their adulthood and though he shared some very annoying characteristics as that grass eating Boxing club captain at least the Rain Guardian came in smaller doses. Still, the thought of tossing one of his tonfa at the approaching younger man's head to stop the fool from crowding him was a very tempting thought.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-san." Kusakabe bowed, greeting the younger man respectfully.

"Hey, Kusakabe-san! Hibari! Are you going out?" Takeshi called out again as he stood a few feet away from the former Disciplinary chairman.

Yes. _Very_ tempting indeed.

"No." Kyouya answered, deadpan.

"Oh?" Takeshi asked, looking genuinely confused. "So why are you going into the car, then?"

Kyouya sighed mentally. This other omnivore was trying to be tactful; someone should really tell him it didn't suit his personality. Kyouya could clearly see right through the baseball player. He might as well be wearing a sign that said, 'Something's Bothering Me And I Need A Quick Punch In The Gut To Get It Out Of My System'. And although Hibari could not usually care less what it was that concerned his fellow Guardians he had known Yamamoto Takeshi long enough to know that he would not be approaching _him_— certainly not alone if he could help it— unless something was seriously wrong. So the skylark decided to be patient and turned his body towards the taller man. "What are you doing here, Yamamoto Takeshi? If you are just trying to waste my time I will bite you to death."

Takeshi sweat dropped but kept his famous wide smile in place. "Of course not, Hibari-san. I just wanted to ask you about something."

"About what?"

Kyouya watched the taller man hesitate and resisted the urge to hit the side of the Rain Guardian's head with his tonfa to make him talk faster. "…About Chrome."

Kyouya's calm fell off his shoulders like a barely worn coat making them stiffen even as his blue gray eyes widened a little and stared at the baseball player before him who was not smiling so much anymore. Instead of the ever present cheer and good humor he was so used to seeing in his eyes the skylark can now read a series of guilt, self loathing and curiosity in them that made him stop to think just what it was that made the Rain Guardian ask about a topic he had usually never spoken about.

The Foundation boss gathered the scattered remains of his self control and wrapped it around him like a shroud of calm once again before speaking. "What and why do you want to know about her all of a sudden?"

"What?" Yamamoto started laughing but Kyoya recognized the nervousness underneath it. "Is it so strange for me to ask about a fellow Guardian?"

Without warning, Kyouya had Yamamoto pinned to the ground, a tonfa at the taller man's throat intent on crushing it in one smooth movement that had anyone else been watching would have been mesmerized. It certainly left the baseball player speechless as he merely looked at his former upperclassman with wide eyes. Clearly he wasn't expecting that attack. It was either that or he may have been too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice the skylark's intention. Kyouya was willing to bet it was the latter. The only reason why the Rain Guardian wasn't choking for air yet was because of the insane reflexes Takeshi was known for. Even now that he had taken the baseball player by surprise he couldn't deliver further injury to the cheerful man because of the hands holding his tonfa at a safe distance away from his neck, matching the skylark strength for strength.

"Don't take me for a fool, Yamamoto Takeshi," Kyouya growled at the younger man softly, his face showing a serene calm even as he kept pressure on his tonfa. It was as though he were silently telling Takeshi that had he exerted just a bit more effort, the baseball player's puny attempt at protecting himself would have been futile. "You never ask about her, you never take notice of her, you never even mention her _name_. You only approach her when the Guardians are summoned to gather or if that omnivore Sawada Tsunayoshi calls for what ever reason. So tell me now. What is your purpose?"

"Nothing!" Takeshi laughed nervously at the apathetic violence in the skylark's eyes. "I was just worried because Squalo called and asked about—"

"Superbi Squalo…?" For the second time Hibari's eyes widened and— after a while— stood up still looking at Yamamoto Takeshi's troubled face hidden behind his nervous smile. He scowled after a moment but then put his tonfa away in the special holsters he kept in the small of his back hidden beneath his suit. "What did he say?"

Takeshi, face still serious, leaned up on his elbows as he looked back at his senpai. "Nothing much; he just wanted to know about her and… well I was a little worried for her and thought about asking."

"Why not ask your other herbivorous friends?"

The Rain Guardian made a sad parody of a smile. "I didn't want to disturb Hayato and Tsuna; I know they're all busy preparing for Tsuna's birthday and taking care of that drug and prostitution ring trying to barge in on Vongola territory right now."

"…Then why come to me?"

The baseball player hesitated for a bit before answering. "You've worked with her before, right? The baby mentioned it in passing back in high school when Dino came over and said you needed someone to help you control your Mist flames… I thought that if anyone other than Hayato, Lal Mirch or Mukuro knew anything about what was going on with her it would be you since you specialize in information gathering."

Kyouya looked away with a scowl. The idiotic omnivore's logic was… faultless and he did not seem as dense as he let on. It was one of the things about Yamamoto Takeshi that irritated him, this pretense of being a lot more stupid that he actually was. His incomplete sharpness irritated the skylark wanting to unleash himself on the younger man and force that strength out of him. However… "And what reason does someone like you who have hardly wanted anything to do with her before wish to know anything about her now?"

He watched his lower classman look away, blush a bit and wince and Kyouya suddenly understood where all the guilt was coming from. It seemed that _this_ Guardian had _finally_ understood that their official Mist Guardian _shared_ the position with _Chrome Dokuro_ and that that Pineapple Herbivore was merely a half of a very powerful whole. Well it was about time.

The Cloud Guardian smirked. "I see."

Takeshi sat up on the ground morosely, uncaring of the jeans he was wearing or the black blazer covering his white shirt getting dirty; carefully looking away from the skylark's knowing steel blue eyes.

"Save yourself the guilt," was Kyouya's advice on the younger man as the skylark turned away; his tone filled with apathy. It was enough to get Takeshi's eyes back on him. "That female omnivore does not need your guilt or your pity or anything to do with you other than the basic necessity to interact with you for the sake of Sawada Tsunayoshi's wishes. She is strong… even if her compulsion to be included in a pack and her affections for that Pineapple herbivore makes her weak."

"You keep on calling her an 'omnivore'," Takeshi couldn't help but comment. "Is she really that special?"

"She has survived and lived this long without internal organs, Yamamoto Takeshi," Kyouya sent him a mocking smirk from over his shoulder. "She lives more productively than most people who have a complete set of brains but refuses to use common sense to get to know the people who _should_ concern them."

Obviously stung, Takeshi stood up and shot the skylark a mocking smirk of his own, his eyes flashing ochre. "And just what do _you_ know about her? What do _you_ know about her strength? Who are you to _her_?"

Kyouya stopped, looked back at him from over his shoulder and answered. "Other than that same Pineapple herbivore, _I_ am the one who has _always_ acknowledged her strength."

"…You're wrong, you know?"

Kyouya raised an eyebrow at him in a silent question.

Takeshi looked him straight in the eye, this time, with sincerity. "I always knew she was strong; that's why I was never worried about her."

"Then why look so guilty, Yamamoto Takeshi? Did you somehow _doubt_ that belief somewhere along the way?"

The words rendered the swordsman still even as Kusakabe opened the door to the Royce once more and Kyouya prepared to enter it but the former prefect looked back at the baseball player, steel gray eyes meeting his ochre ones much to the younger man's surprise. "You wish to help her, do you not?"

Takeshi blinked a bit before his grin returned full force again after a few moments. "Yes!"

Kyouya nodded once. "I am going to Ikebukuro for some information from a contact she has introduced me to a few years back. I need to know if he has some information regarding a certain family who seems to be stalking her and seems to be giving her trouble without her knowledge."

At that Takeshi stiffened. So Chrome _was_ in danger. This erased any sort of hesitation he may have been harboring earlier. At least he would be able to help her out even if it was just in this way. "I'll follow in my car."

Kyouya nodded and boarded his car even as Takeshi power walked down the path to where he had parked his Maybach.

He appreciated the fact that the younger man respected his need _not_ to crowd; Sasagawa would _not_ have been so considerate. It was one of the reasons why he could stand to be around the Vongola swordsman at all. As soon as the car started moving his thoughts automatically reverted to the main reason they had had a discussion in the first place.

Chrome Dokuro.

His call to Italy was met with much hedging from Gokudera Hayato and he had not been able to speak with Sawada Tsunayoshi at all. He suspected that the main reason for this was also because of Gokudera who he knew took his duties as right hand man too seriously and he scowled at this.

If it were a simple mission then why would Foundation not know about her whereabouts? How could such suspicious activity within the Vongola have evaded him all this time? Once this was all over he promised himself he was going to bite Gokudera Hayato and Sawada Tsunayoshi to death. Until then… then he would have to do everything necessary to keep Chrome Dokuro safe.

Even if he had to work with one of the people he would have _loved_ to erase off this planet.

This thread of thought led him back to his conversation with the herbivorous Pineapple Head who had given him the lead to the said threat to Chrome Dokuro's safety and who to approach about this without compromising complete anonymity.

Hibari Kyouya took care to buckle on his seat belt and crossed his arms over his chest as Kusakabe drove the car out of the park. He needed to mentally prepare himself since he had a feeling whoever it was Mukuro had recommended would take all his patience not to dismember before he finished talking. Perhaps it was a good call to have Yamamoto Takeshi follow him after all.

At least the Rain would be able to calm him down enough to let the informant talk until he got some answers.

/*****/

Superbi Squalo watched as Chrome Dokuro flipped through the pages of the several reams of documents Squalo just handed over to her detailing the amount and status of various businesses and investments the Varia had and she couldn't help but be impressed. She had been working on the Varia's paperwork for nigh on over a month now since she came to stay here. Discreetly at first but now that she had open access to almost all of their files she couldn't help but be continually impressed by what she always found.

Squalo smirked smugly at her from where he was sitting across from the female Mist Guardian on the wide dining table that doubled as their conference slab, knowing what she was thinking. "See something you like, Dokuro?"

She blushed as she looked up at the long haired strategy captain but gave him a small smile anyway before answering. "It's nothing; I guess I can't help but be surprised that the Varia is so financially stable despite being so independent from the Vongola and it's allies."

The shark huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, puffing up his chest proudly. "Of course; did you think Xanxus is our leader just for his questionable charming personality? Besides, do you really see us asking money from your stupid Boss or the Cavallone?"

Chrome's gaze widened at this revelation. "Xanxus-sama? I thought Mammon-san would be the one taking care of Varia's finances?"

"Oh _Mammon_ takes care of the paperwork, maintenance and the other stuff," Squalo waved a hand at this gruffly as though it was general knowledge. "But the _Boss_ is the one who makes and decides on the investments. He doesn't look like it but he's got good business sense. In fact, Mammon stays around because he can pitch in on whatever investment Xanxus makes and make himself richer, the little fucktard."

Chrome blinked at that. "That's amazing…"

"You don't have to sound so fucking amazed about it, woman," Squalo growled at her with a smirk. "Vongola isn't the only organization who's got an exceptional pair of brains."

"I know," she answered with a small smile. "It just amazes me every time I look into the documents how well you organize things so effortlessly, Commander. From all these financial obligations to recruiting new blood you do everything by yourself what an army of others do for the Vongola."

"Tch," Squalo turned his face away, trying to hide his blushing cheeks. It wasn't often that he got complimented. It pays when you know the compliment was sincere and not coerced out of fear somehow. "Varia's not even that big. If we just let anyone in then we'd lose the title of being an elite group."

Squalo's morning meetings with Chrome Dokuro that started the morning after she woke up from the latest Cornelio incident a week ago had quickly become a ritual and the highlight of his whole day. He easily forgot himself with her, probably because of her almost non existent presence. Often he found himself talking a lot to himself in her company before catching himself but she never mocked him about it, not even once. Instead she allowed him to use her as a soundboard for the latest crisis he had had to take care of in the castle. The fact that she can _actually_ give him some good ideas to solve said crisis that actually made sense and did not involve killing, maiming or robbing someone blind was a great big plus.

True, they were an assassination squad and fucked up in every way possible but they couldn't go running around being laws onto themselves. As much as the Italian government owed the Vongola— and by extension the Varia— a whole truckload of favors did not mean they had complete immunity. And with that bastard Trinidad riding up their asses they needed to lay low for a while and keep themselves as legal as possible. Dokuro's presence here under these circumstances was a blessing in disguise… not that he would tell her that to her face, of course. She was only doing what every good soldier would do. What surprised him was how she does them as efficiently and as sincerely as she did despite the fact that they were _Varia_.

Squalo was not an idiot. Far from it, he was the proud owner of an I.Q. of 130. It might not be on par with Belphegor's 194 but it was impressive enough to stand above most individual scumbags who didn't have a clue. His experiences on the field of battle also lent him a respective amount of credibility on missions. In short, he knew no one in their right minds would ever willingly try to work with them in the same kind of capacity and dedication Dokuro had been doing ever since she came her making her close to being the apple of his eye.

Fuck, he remembered when the Ninth sent them some help repairing their vehicles. That competent engineer really was good. Graduated from Harvard with all those fancy degrees and talked like the sun shone out of his ass treating them like ignorant idiots just because they couldn't get the rotor on their damaged helicopter to work. He lasted no more that five hours and left here with a stutter.

Chrome wasn't like that. She was humble, down to earth and everything everyone in this castle was not. As a result, the traits that should have hidden her presence and made her close to invisible amongst ordinary people made her stand out here in the Varia. Her dedication and deep consideration made waves throughout their entire organization because their men seldom (if never) were treated to any sort of respect or kindness outside of people begging for their lives to be spared. The fact that it was thanks to her skillful manipulation of the paperwork and her calm and sweet way of representing the Varia through video conferencing and phone calls to their expectant clientele to work out rescheduling of some of the missions was the reason that the Varia can still work normally and maintain their 100% success rule was enough of a reason to win his eternal respect. No one outside the Varia would even dare assume they were undergoing any sort of difficulty at all right after that attack on their castle even though this has now become widely rumored.

Their reputation was even deadlier than before. People think they were impregnable the way they could still function despite their losses.

She was truly worth her weight in gold and even though he hated it, he silently thanked Reborn for leaving her with them every single day.

The door banging open made both of them turn and look towards the new arrival and just as Squalo thought, right on cue was his leader; Xanxus, making an entrance in all his scowling, snarling glory. Every single morning it was the same.

The Varia Boss would give them an hour of privacy before he came in to check or pick up Dokuro. It was amusing since this was the only time of the day except for bath and bedtime that he allowed Dokuro out of his sight. The shark suspected Xanxus was trying to be discreet in the favor he was giving Dokuro but Squalo knew he wasn't the only one noticing the attention the Boss was giving the female Vongola Mist Guardian. Xanxus guarded her the way the three headed demon dog Cereberus must have guarded the entrance to Hades. Growling and snarling at practically any living being who dared even _look_ at Chrome in a covetous fashion. It was amusing and disconcerting at the same time. He still can't figure out whether or not he should be alarmed yet.

"Oi," Xanxus shot his second in command a glare. "You still here, scumbag?"

"VOI!" Squalo yelled back, not even bothering to get up off the chair even as he spied Lussuria and Levi following in Xanxus' wake. He supposed Bel wasn't back from the mission he was leading yet which the shark mentally thanked the heavens for. The brat had been testing Xanxus' patience as of late, wanting to be near Dokuro all the time and had even dared attempt to cross the lines the Varia Boss had set between Chrome Dokuro and the rest of the world by entering his room and watching her sleep. "We're in a meeting, you know?"

"Fuck that," crimson eyes settled on the soft flawless face of the woman and Squalo took note of the way Xanxus' gaze slowly and thoroughly roved over every inch of Dokuro's facial features as though he were trying to mark it before he spoke again. "You forgot to change your bandages this morning, didn't you?"

"What?" Squalo looked back at Chrome who was now blushing at the accusation. "Um… well I…"

"It's alright, Chrome-chan it was totally my fault~!" Lussuria stepped forward and Squalo raised a brow at the large bruise on the tri colored haired man's left cheek. "When I came by your room to bring you breakfast you were already gone!"

"Oh, it's not your fault, Lussu-nee, it's just…" she stole a peek at Xanxus guiltily before speaking again in a fainter voice. "I knew you were busy today."

"He should have come looking for you _after_ he was done." Xanxus growled and stalked over to her, scooping her up in his arms.

Squalo mentally wondered for the hundredth time why Xanxus stubbornly refused to just get her a pair of crutches or a goddamned wheelchair.

"W-wait!" she managed to get out, clutching at the front of Xanxus' shirt so she wouldn't fall. "W-were in the middle of a meeting!"

"You're done here." He arrogantly announced before stalking out of the room with her, shooting Lussuria a pointed glare and ignoring Levi altogether.

Squalo was left alone with the scowling Lightning Guardian who had known when he was not wanted around his precious Boss. The shark almost sighed at the expression Levi was making. Even after all these years the self proclaimed Xanxus worshipper still thought his position would be usurped.

"What are you worried about _now_?" the silver haired commander finally asked.

Levi continued scowling in the direction where Xanxus, Chrome and Lussuria had disappeared to even as he replied. "I don't trust that woman."

"You don't trust _anyone_ outside _us_ when it comes to _Xanxus_."

"We're different," Levi protested, beady eyes narrowing even more. "That woman is dangerous!"

Squalo rubbed the bridge of his nose to try and fight off an impending migraine. "That woman _knows_ better than pose as a threat to us. She knows what we can do to her if she tries to double cross us."

Levi's accusing eyes turned to him. "I can't believe I'll ever see the day you'll defend anyone and disregard the Boss' safety just because of a _woman_."

That did it. Squalo stood up so swiftly his chair was knocked to the floor, the noise echoing in the large room but the longhaired man ignored this by striding towards the taller man with long, threatening steps. "You calling me a slob, trash?"

Levi, as was expected of him, stared the shark down, remaining unintimidated as he kept his ground. "I'm _saying_ that all of you dumb fucks are wrapped so tightly around that little slut's finger you don't even see what's in front of you anymore."

"I'm not an idiot, I hold everyone close to us with a measure of suspicion, Dokuro is _no different_," Squalo growled back at the captain. They were practically in each other's faces. "But I can also tell when to use that suspicion and when to tell that some fucker is just jealous because daddy got himself a new _pet_."

Levi growled but he was the first to back off and stubbornly folded his arms over his chest. "You're all just too blind to see it; that woman is _dangerous_."

Squalo sighed in a long suffering way and resisted the urge to knee the bastard in the gut. "Dangerous _how_?"

The scowl on the Lightning Guardian's face softened somewhat but his words were just as uncompromising. "I'm not sure but I _do_ know one thing," Levi turned back to him, his face full of the belief of the words he was saying. "That woman can hurt the Boss."

Squalo stopped short and blinked at the utter sureness in the taller man's tone before snorting and dismissed his fellow officer altogether, walking out of the room with the leftover paperwork he and Dokuro have yet to finish. He was halfway back to his office when images of Xanxus and his behavior towards the female Mist Guardian started seeping into his head and he stopped in mid step.

Was Levi actually on to something here? But then that would mean that Xanxus was… falling in love…

Fuck.

No it can't be. Squalo shook his head at the thought violently. Xanxus was just acting like Xanxus. He needed to be polite to Dokuro because the Varia had its own honor and debt to repay for all she had done for them. Besides, Reborn told them to take care of her and what's more, whatever Xanxus was feeling may just be the product of being a hot blooded normal guy. Hell, any man with at least three of his five senses intact would want to fuck Dokuro. Xanxus had only been passionate about one thing and one thing only.

Being Vongola Decimo.

When that didn't happen he didn't necessarily let go but he put himself into making the Varia the most feared and powerful organization under the Vongola. Never— _never_— had Squalo ever seen Xanxus become enamored with a woman to the point that he would call it love. Hell, no woman worth their salt had ever _wanted_ Xanxus. Their Boss and the other members of their squad just kept on with the tradition of paying women who had no choice but to open their legs for them and that was it. Except for his late mother Xanxus had never made any sort of emotional connection with any woman. Period.

The silver haired swordsman shook his head one last time and decided to put this train of thought in a file cabinet deep within his mind he had long labeled 'To Think About On a Rainy Day' and continued walking towards his office where he can leave the files behind.

He had a construction to watch over, after all.

/*****/

"Hmmm… I think it's time we tried it."

Levi stood outside listening in on Lussuria tending to Dokuro. He had been there long enough to determine that Xanxus was not in the room with them meaning the Boss might have left Dokuro in the Varia Sun Guardian's care. As soon as Squalo left this is where he came.

Chrome looked up at Lussuria who was peering at the wound on her leg with his index finger and thumb around his chin with a hopeful gaze. "Really?"

Lussuria smiled at her and nodded. "Yes! It has been a week and the medicine we gave you should have already flushed the toxins right out of your bloodstream. Besides, if it still doesn't take then we can just try my flames again some other time."

"I can't wait," she replied wistfully. "I miss walking."

"Don't be too excited, we need to ask the Boss first," he fixed up her bandages and stood up with the medical kit in his hand. "You know how he growls and howls whenever we do something with you without telling him first."

Chrome gave out a small, embarrassed smile. "He has been very kind; he didn't need to do all that for me."

"Well you _did_ save his life," Lussuria said, snapping his medical kit closed. "More than once if he ever came out and admitted it. Which he won't."

"I know."

Lussuria gave her a warm smile and a little pinch in the cheek. "Chrome-chan, you're so cu~te!"

She blushed even more at the praise but she had gotten used to the Varia Sun guardian cooing over her every five minutes.

"Seriously, though, you surprise me, Chrome-chan," the Muay Thai master started again, falling into a girly crouch in front of her as the wounded woman sat daintily on the edge of Xanxus' bed, the hem of her borrowed Varia coat hiked up modestly over her wounded leg enough for the bespectacled man to work on. "I know for a fact that we aren't exactly your typical warm loving, garden variety family here like the Vongola so I can't help but be surprised how you manage to understand and tolerate the Boss. Even _we_ have problems _dealing_ with him on occasion."

"He's really not that bad, Lussu-nee," She answered gently and made Levi scowl even more as he stood outside peering in through the crack of the double door's hinges. "I respect Xanxus-sama."

"He's not a good man," Lussuria told her, slyly and coyly looking over at her from above the rims of his tinted glasses and Levi recognized the little interrogation tactic Lussu would use to get information out of the unsuspecting. It usually worked; especially on men who were afraid they'd be raped if they didn't answer the insanely strong kick boxer. "He's anything _but_ a good man. I hope you are not holding on to any illusions."

"Make no mistake, Lussu-nee, I know what he is and what the Varia are," she met the tinted covered eyes with her own. "All I can say is that you are all good at doing what you are doing. Besides, if it's about professions then Mukuro-sama and I are no better. In fact, I'd say you live a more straightforward life than we do."

"Oh?" Lussuria looked intrigued now. "How so?"

"We are Mist Guardians, after all," her lips twisted into a sad parody of a smile. "Our main job is to deceive and to cover up traces of the Famiglia's existence and actions. Going out into the open to do what we are supposed to do is not something we can do with luxury."

Lussuria frowned as though thinking about this before nodding. "I guess it's true… the Mist is always the most effective during the Night; and you've already compared as to the Night, haven't you, Chrome-chan~?"

She blushed scarlet when she remembered what he was referring to. "I'm sorry if I have offended anyone—"

"No, no, my dear, you've described us very accurately," Lussu waved off her apology. "It just surprised us how you knew us as well as you do."

"That's because I watched you," she blinked her eye innocently. "All of you."

"Eh?"

"Despite a fearsome reputation, the Varia are human with basic human needs just like I do," Chrome cocked her head to the side. "And I treat you guys the way I would have wanted to be treated myself were I in your situations."

Lussuria's shoulder quaked and his mouth twitched several times before he finally gave in to his laughter.

Chrome blinked up at him. "Eh…?"

"I-I'm sorry, Chrome-chan, ahahahaha!" the Muay Thai master wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, still laughing. "It's just that… you're the first one who has ever said something like that. I have to say you surprised me."

"…Why?"

He finally calmed down. "Well the Varia doesn't actually encourage other people to see us the way you do… It's a good thing we like you so much or we would have already killed you for thinking that way. We _do_ have a reputation to maintain, you know and in this business, reputation is _everything_."

"I know," she gave him a small smile. "That's why I wanted everyone to do missions as normally as possible so you guys can keep it."

The effeminate man stared at her for a moment longer before shaking his head at her fondly and patted her on top of the head. "You're incredible; I wish we could own you. You are exactly what we needed around here."

"Needed?"

"A pure heart," he smirked crookedly. "Someone who can maintain that last string of sanity in us that has always been hanging by a thread."

She merely blinked again, confused.

Lussuria's smile widened. "Anyway, you had better rest and I will go find the Boss and ask him about using Pea-chan's flames on you at dinner later."

"Oh! Please tell Squalo to come by and give me the rest of the documents, Lussu-nee!"

"Alright and do me a favor, will you?"

"What is it?"

"Whatever it is he wants to discuss with you, don't ever let that little boor in," the martial artist jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to where Levi was hiding, Chrome peered over from the bed and Levi stiffened. Not surprising that Lussuria already knew he was there. "Xanxus will kill him if he finds him alone in here with you. Usually it's none of my business but since we're a bit shorthanded right now we can't afford to have him on sick leave. I'll see you later at dinner, my dear~."

"Yes." Chrome waved back at him as he left.

Levi opened Xanxus' bedroom door as soon as Lussuria left only to stop and take in the different atmosphere in the room.

Usually, when one entered the Varia Boss' private quarters, one would immediately be attacked by the sense of danger and dread and pure, heaviness of this dimly lit room. Mostly, it was actually more of a lounge for Xanxus than a bedroom sometimes since he hardly did anything here aside from sleep and sometimes brood and fiddle around with his guns. And then testing the finished products on the first unlucky bastard who happened to enter the room. But right now the difference of this usually gloomy space was so palpable and obvious it was almost _edible_.

And it was all because of the presence of one person.

Levi looked towards the form of Chrome Dokuro sitting on the edge of the bed, looking back at him expectantly. Her bandaged leg now covered by the large Varia coat and he glared at her from the threshold of the room, not daring to come in because anyone living in the Varia mansion knew better than to enter Xanxus' private domain without an express invitation from the Boss himself. He saw her soft gaze already on him in a way he personally hated so much. A sliver of fading sunlight had filtered through thick drapes that usually forbade it to enter this sacred place of contemplation for their beloved Boss as though she had called it forth and illuminating the usually dark room with a feeling of lightness despite its dark corners.

Now Levi may be clumsy and may be a tad bit (_very_) attached to his Boss but one did not become a Varia officer without a measure of brains no matter what that stupid prince said. Seeing this sight made him think that this is a foreshadowing of things to come and he could not help but worry for his Boss and how the scarred Italian will fare under that change. A change that he couldn't help but notice ever since the day she was allowed to work in the Boss' office.

Already his fellow officers were showing changes. Sure, they weren't overly obvious but one had to be watching closely for anyone to notice how Varia had begun to… _cater_ specifically to the needs of the woman who had now become the unofficial head of their administration department which had been previously governed by Squalo.

_Lussuria_.

Now Levi could understand (barely as it was), the tri colored haired man's need to mother someone. The Lightning Guardian guessed it all came from having an imaginary cervix that allowed Lussu to want to _take care _of the woman especially since there aren't any females around the Varia Headquarters for the peacock to _tend _the way his effeminate nature needed to.

But _Squalo_?

It disturbed Levi when the long haired Strategy Commander didn't even kick up a fuss when all the paperwork was handed over to Dokuro. In fact, Squalo looked like he was relieved to hand over those responsibilities over to the woman. Dokuro, in turn, would have everything ready for approval almost as soon as the paperwork was handed over to her. Sure, she would still consult Squalo about several of the things written on the paper and affording the Varia Rain Guardian the respect he deserved but Levi was still uncomfortable with the way she had insinuated herself so deeply into the workings of the Varia that she even knew what kind of budget they had for their members' _underwear_. It just didn't _feel_ right. The silver haired man was blinded by the convenience of this woman being around to notice.

And _Bel_.

He didn't even want to _begin_ pretending he understood why the self proclaimed Prince kept on sticking to the woman like a psychotically obsessed puppy. Like a crazed hyena, the "Prince" made no secret of his intentions to cut Dokuro open and see her blood spilling on the floor. Of course, this should not have surprised them but the mere obsession in his words, actions and the odd way he showed her a certain level of _deference_ were in and of itself an indication of the high regard he had of the woman. The only reason why the blond devil had not been able to go through with his desire to make her bleed was because Dokuro, despite not being able to walk, can still use her illusions to avoid being on the receiving end of the crazed blond assassin's knives… and the fact that Bel was afraid of pissing Xanxus off.

Which made his mind go back to _The Boss_.

And Levi had to take a deep breath at the memory of his beloved Boss' behavior to stop himself from hyperventilating before he could go on with his thoughts.

Xanxus might pretend all he wanted to not care about Dokuro but Levi had watched the dark skinned Italian too closely since he started worshipping the ground the Varia Boss walked on to _not_ have noticed how gently he held Dokuro whenever he carried her around. He didn't know with anyone else around the headquarters but it was plain as day for him.

How Xanxus would not allow anyone else to hold her even when he was just transporting the woman from the office to the goddamned dining room. Once, he had even borne witness to his Boss carrying Dokuro from the bed to the bathroom to do her business amidst all of her blushing when he came to the Boss' room early one morning so the scarred man could change and shower only to find the woman hopping on her one good leg across the carpeted floor to get to the damned loo.

Xanxus cursed at her for not calling out to him sooner and carried her, leaving her inside the bathroom before stomping out with growled instructions to call him as soon as she was done. It obviously mortified Dokuro but what disturbed Levi the most was, since that morning afterwards Xanxus would make it a point to come to her room earlier. As though he _wanted_ to be at the woman's beck and call. And Levi knew this because he had formed the Levi Lightning Squad as Xanxus' personal guard and as head of that guard he made it a point to be at the Varia Boss' front door an _hour_ before he even thought about waking up so he knew when the Varia leader started changing his schedule.

Xanxus _never_ woke up that early for _anything_ or any_one_.

Levi cared about Xanxus more than his own life and seeing him being treated as this woman's mule was something he could not bear. He didn't care if she didn't mean any of it, the knife of envy twisted in his heart every time he saw Xanxus glance at the girl with eyes that practically seethed with want and Dokuro didn't even have the decency to _notice_. If it weren't for the fact that Xanxus made it clear with the way he kept close to her and spoke about her that she was not to be harmed Levi would have already sicced Livya on her.

Why couldn't the Boss see she was just like any other woman who sought to take advantage of his good will?

"Is there something I can help you with, Captain Levi?" her soft voice, a tone he had learned to compare to cool, flowing water, disturbed him from his turbulent thoughts.

"Where's the Boss?" he asked after a while, glaring ever more fiercely his attention turning back to the old Varia long coat three sizes too big for her.

It was obviously a loan from Xanxus and it made Levi grit his teeth that the woman was so free with his Boss' things when he himself—a loyal follower for more than eighteen years— dared not even touch a single scrap of underwear.

It was another moment of foreshadowing in his opinion that Xanxus allowed her to wear the old Varia's coat as a silent declaration that anyone who touches this woman was akin to touching him. And that harming her would mean death.

She blinked at him once in confusion before answering. "He says he needed to supervise a part of the construction; he hasn't come back yet."

_Supervise the construction?_ Levi narrowed his eyes at that. Since when did the Boss bother with such trivial things? Usually he just handed these things to Squalo or Lussuria. Something odd was going on…

But she merely met his eyes without guile. The presence of it was sickening and something very unusual in this dark dreary place known as the Varia headquarters and it both fascinated and repelled him all at the same time. Women in general were highly discouraged here and Xanxus made it clear that if they wanted a woman they should fuck them in their respective brothels and not in the castle. It was a rule that had never been broken because everyone agreed women were only a distraction and merely good for one thing only.

However this woman in front of him… she was much stronger than the average female even though not physically. He had remembered the details of Lal Mirch's words. She was much more dangerous than any other female he had ever come in contact with. She had the potential to hurt his beloved Boss. The man who had been the only person to have given him a chance to be different. To have an existence that had any sort of meaning.

The memory made protectiveness surge inside him like a flood.

"I won't let you hurt him." He suddenly burst out loud before he could stop himself.

She stopped and stilled and stared at him in consideration. And after a while, she spoke. "I'm sorry I… don't understand, Captain—"

"YOU WOMEN ARE ALL ALIKE!" he continued to rage back at her, not moving a step into the room but his malice was enough to reach out and choke her, ignoring her innocent comment. "I KNOW VERY WELL WHAT ALL OF YOU WANT FROM THE BOSS!"

He ignored her perplexed gaze and continued to rave on like a mad preacher on a pulpit. "YOU WOMEN WHO HAVE POSITIONS IN SOCIETY ALL THINK YOU'RE TOO GOOD FOR HIM! CRINGING AND SNEERING AT THE SIGHT OF HIM LIKE HE'S SOME SORT OF TRASH OR DISGUSTING MONSTER BECAUSE OF HIS SCARS! AT LEAST THE PROSTITUTES ARE HONEST ENOUGH FOR US TO KNOW ALL THEY NEED FROM HIM IS MONEY! BUT _YOU_!" And he spat the word like it was poison. "YOUR KIND IS THE WORST! TRYING TO FUCK WITH HIS MIND, WRAP HIM AROUND YOUR FINGER AND USE HIM LIKE A _DOG_! You better think twice before you play with his heart or I swear I won't care what Reborn or Squalo says because I will skewer you with my parabolas, you got that, bitch?"

He had been expecting her to react like any refined lady of society; the spoiled, pampered ladies involved with the Mafia who used sex as their main weapon. To cry or laugh at him mockingly and demean him. To dare him to run to Xanxus to tell him about his theories and jeer that his Boss won't believe him over them because who would believe a fool? Of course his Boss was no fool and merely told them those women were being used by him more than anything else and Levi would be relieved especially when, after their use, those women ended up having their lives ruined for them for daring to try and control the force of nature that was Xanxus.

But Chrome Dokuro merely sat there and looked him straight in the eye and even with the distance they had from each other he could see an expression of sympathy in her gaze when she looked at him that made his breath stop. No woman had ever looked at him in such a way; not even the women he paid to spend nights with and definitely not the ones who only see him as Xanxus' dog. What the hell was this woman thinking? Perhaps she truly was a witch?

"Did that happen a lot in the past? Women trying to take advantage of Xanxus-sama?" she asked quietly, her tone brimming with compassion. "Are you sure none of them wanted to just… love him?"

Levi swallowed and barely managed to snort at her question. "You can't seriously be _that_ naïve."

"I'm sorry it's just that…" she looked to the carpet as though asking for its advice on some life important decision. "I can't imagine any woman trying to take advantage of Xanxus-sama. He always seems to be so… in control despite having such a volatile temper."

Levi blinked at her in disbelief and anger. "Just because he doesn't cry out aloud doesn't mean he's not human!"

"…You've seen him cry, Levi-san?"

"I've recognized the times when he _wanted_ to, but he would never be that weak." He sneered at her.

"Has a woman ever… hurt him?"

The Varia Lightning Guardian crossed his arms over his chest and scowled but his pride over his Boss was apparent in every line of his body. "Boss is no fool. He's only ever used a woman for fun! Because no matter what those bitches think I still warn the Boss and he believes _me_ not them!"

"Xanxus-sama is very lucky to have a man as dedicated as you," she finally spoke, her voice so gentle and soft it felt like a feather brushing over his skin. Her words made him stiffen and his eyes went wide. This was not the response he was expecting. "Don't worry, Captain. I have no intention of making him fall in love with me."

Levi struggled. Wasn't this all part of that 'Trap' Lal Mirch was talking about? He needed to be strong! He couldn't let himself fall into it; he needed to protect the Boss from falling into it himself! "Heh! What so you're trying to say that you're too good for him, is that it?"

"No," and her smile became sad. A wistful smile that, had Levi not sworn his life to Xanxus, would have made him stagger in his resolve and chosen path in life. "It's because I already love someone else… and I think Xanxus-sama deserves someone who will love him only for himself and not treat him as just a replacement for someone else's unrequited feelings."

Levi didn't know what to say. What _can_ he say? Bullshit, it was like the woman had cut his tongue off and fed it to a cat. Did she mean what he thought he meant then? That her heart already belonged to someone else?

"Thank you for telling me your concerns, I will keep all of your thoughts to heart," she nodded to him solemnly, respectfully. More respectfully than the ones he had ever gotten from his fellow officers or from anybody else he was not allowed to kill. "Please tell me if I am ever out of line again, Captain; I will truly appreciate it."

Levi's head swirled in confusion. "Wait a minute; you're not going to threaten to tell the Boss on me?"

She looked confused now as she tilted her head to the side. "Why should I do that? You're only doing this because Xanxus-sama is important to you, aren't you? I too know what it is like to have an important person. It is not something I would begrudge anybody."

Levi was helpless and speechless. He wanted to retaliate, really he did. But what words would he be able to use to sting against logic like that? He wished he was as quick witted with his words as Bel was; then maybe he would be able to think of another way to insult this woman in front of him who seemed bound and determined to get under everyone's skins in this damned place.

"Don't worry about it, you're fine just the way you are; you are exactly what he needs. It's okay to love him," she gave him an encouraging smile before it fell into a sad imitation of one and she looked down at the carpet as though seeing images that weren't there. "It's okay as long as you can stay by his side, isn't it?"

Levi sucked his breath in, wanting to disbelieve what he was seeing and hearing. He recognized that smile just now. It was the smile of someone who knew their love would always remain unrequited. Her small, tender smile was nearly non existent and something dense men would never be able to notice but to someone who made it a profession to be observant the gesture was something that can stop the flow of traffic. As miniscule as it was, it made her face glow.

Levi was beginning to understand how this woman had managed to ensnare so much of his Boss' and colleagues' attentions. Yes, he knew that smile too well as a man who had grown up without any particular good looks or exceptional talent and had been unpopular to women all his life. It made him curious about whom it was that was crossing her mind right now. He knew it wasn't his Boss since she just said she was not planning to make him fall in love with her so… who was it? Despite himself, he wanted to know. Despite himself he felt jealous _for_ his Boss that this woman would not be gifting Xanxus with such pure feelings…

"What the fuck do you think you're doing outside my room, Levi?"

The Varia Lightning Guardian stiffened and turned to look at Xanxus approaching him with a gait unlike that of Bester's. "Erh! Boss! I was just looking for you!"

"What the fuck for?"

Levi's face melted at the rough, rude way Xanxus threw the question back at him. "I-I was just checking on you, Boss."

"Fine, you've done that, now get the fuck out of the way."

Levi watched with wide eyes when Xanxus brushed him out of the doorway and strode into his room, his crimson eyes instantly trained on Chrome Dokuro just the way it did every time he saw her even before this incident began. It was as though his Boss couldn't help but _look_ at her, it was almost an unconscious reflex.

To her credit she didn't smile at the Boss. Her gaze merely softened and her greeting held the appropriate amount of respect but lacked the subservience. "Welcome back, Xanxus-sama."

"Hn."

Levi watched Xanxus closely as he always did and he was not blind to the minute changes in his Boss' expressions in the form of crimson eyes softening and the lessening of the tension on his shoulders. The Varia Lightning Guardian had never seen his Boss let down his guard quite like this in front of _anyone_, even for a moment.

"Is the construction for the east wall going well, sir?"

"…Hn."

Levi watched her sigh a little but the serenity in her expression remained unruffled. "Sir, about what Commander Squalo and I discussed at the morning meeting, the funds you wanted is a little low for the reconstruction of all the Varia headquarters' damages. I just wanted to let you know just in case you wanted to contact Timoteo-sama to shoulder some of the—"

"Out. Of. The. Fucking. Question." Levi thrilled to the growl his Boss made at the mere suggestion, his pride for Xanxus increasing and relieved that the scarred man had not completely lost his common sense around this woman yet like he had feared. "It'll be a cold day in Hell before I ask anything more from that old bastard."

Levi glanced at Dokuro, thinking she would push the suggestion and try to convince the Boss to see her way of thinking just like any woman would do; d_aring_ her to _try_ and _make_ Xanxus change his mind so he could enjoy watching her _burn_. But she merely nodded in understanding and spoke again. "Then I have several names connected to the Vongola who can loan us the money at a minimum of 10% interest every ten days, will that be alright?"

"No, we don't have to do that; the construction's done." He shot her suggestion right out of the water. "Are you hungry?"

Dokuro blinked in confusion and tilted her head to the side making Levi blush at the sheer cuteness of it. "Sir?"

"You'll want to stay here for the rest of the day," Xanxus ignored her question as he kept on walking towards her. "I fucking can't stand all that banging and clanging their doing in my office to get the windows replaced."

She blinked in surprise, not expecting the sudden change of topic but she let it slide and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Xanxus approached her, gait steady and sure.

Perhaps _too_ steady and sure.

Levi watched the interaction, unable to believe his eyes or ears. Looking at his Boss and the Vongola Mist Guardian right now he couldn't help but be captivated by how the difference in their very aura oddly seemed as though they… belonged together the way the moon belonged to the night.

Or the mist to the dark…

"Boss!" Levi stepped forward, stopping Xanxus who glared back at him questioningly. "Why don't I take the woman for today? You don't have to trouble yourself about her all the time."

Xanxus seemed taken aback by this offer at first before his crimson eyes narrowed in suspicion and he frowned. "Like _hell_ I'll let you."

The mustached man was taken aback by the waves of pure hostility suddenly oozing out of Xanxus' pores. He had seen his Boss angry before but he always knew the reason why but now… this was just completely unexpected.

"The Captain is right," her comment averted both eyes to her direction but her gaze was unfazed by both their glares. "You look tired, Xanxus-sama. Why don't you rest? I'm sure Levi-san can help usher me around and you can have your room to yourself."

Disbelief colored the shade of Levi's dark blush at the words and for the hundredth time since she came around she surprised him. But it was nothing compared to the surprise he felt when Xanxus glared at him with something akin to… jealousy.

"Levi."

Levi felt something cold skitter up his spine and he stood straight at attention at the sound of his name growled out by that unsmiling mouth. "Yes, Boss?"

"Get the fuck out of my sight."

"B-Boss…?"

Flames of Xanxus' infamous Wrath flashed in the scarred Italian's right hand and Levi backed away.

"If you're not out of my sight in three fucking seconds I will cremate your worthless carcass on my carpeted floor."

_Ulp_. "R-right away, Boss!"

Levi practically ran off and away from the scarred man as fast as he can without seeming to panic feeling like someone just stepped on his grave but his insides also riddled with awe. He had never seen Xanxus look at _anyone_ like that, not even Sawada Tsunayoshi.

As if he was ready to kill anyone who would even dare think to lay a hand on Chrome Dokuro.

When he was safely out of range and could finally breathe again, Levi felt his heart fall into depression. He may already be too late protecting his Boss from that woman. It seemed that she was an addiction Xanxus did not want to break. He knew he shouldn't give up but…

What was that sense of _rightness_ he had felt when he saw his Boss and the Vongola Mist Guardian together? They were like a portrait of what Heaven and Hell should look like.

And Levi knew he could never compete with that.

/*****/

"Fucking son of a bitch."

Chrome watched the Varia Boss glare after his loyal Lightning Guardian until the man was probably well out of sight and almost let out a sigh. She could be told numerous times that she was the only one who can perceive the Varia in any other light outside of being epitomes of evil but, to be honest, she would never fully understand the scarred man. It was as though he were a mixture of hot and cold all at the same time. It was odd.

It was no wonder his box weapon was a hybrid.

But even through her lack of understanding she knew she couldn't just stand back like she would do before and let any sort of misunderstanding get in the way with his relationships with his Varia.

"Xanxus-sama," his glare turned to her and if Chrome had not been all too used to Hayato and Ken's fierce expressions most all her life she would have flinched at the sight of the angry crimson eyes trained on her like a gun. As it was she could only blush helplessly at the intensity that gaze contained. For some reason she could not explain Xanxus' eyes felt like it was forcefully violating her soul whenever trained on her, as opposed to her Boss' eyes that could gently see right through her. "He's just worried about you, you know?"

His expression softened a bit. Chrome had been staying around him long enough to figure out when he was angry, bored or just plain irritated. For the most part she could predict or read what he would do next for most of the situations around him however she didn't exactly understand why it was he felt those things. This included the frustrated look he got on his face at times whenever he carried her around from his bedroom to the office and into the dining room. Or when they were working; him with his guns and her with whatever paperwork Squalo left for her during the day in his office.

"I don't make him stay here so he can be a pussy." He snarled at her and was now staring at her with an expression she had come to associate with aggravation before leaning against the bed post at the foot of his bed.

"But—"

"But _nothing_!" he growled at her, his steps taking him towards her until he was right in front of her seated form.

His hands were clenched and his jaw was tensed but for some reason Chrome did not feel as though she were in danger. She had been on a battlefield with dangers before and although Xanxus was a dangerous man who emitted menace as easily as he breathed she did not feel as though she were in any kind of risk. At least not since the beginning of her recuperation.

What she could feel whenever he looked at her like this was a sort of expectancy. Like he was waiting for her to _do_ something— _anything_. What it was she had yet to figure out and she hoped she would figure it out soon. During the past week as she troubled him to carry her everywhere she needed to go she had come to sincerely like the scarred Varia Boss more than she had before.

She had always wondered what he would be doing after losing the Ring scramble. He seemed so intent on winning, sacrificing all else to achieve that dream that it made her wonder what he would have done without it. Chrome did not expect that he would still retain this dignified pride despite all that.

Sometimes he acted like a child; petty and spoiled and she always found it amusing when his Varia fell all over themselves just to quiet his tantrums. At times he acted like a ruthless heathen; violent, cruel and merciless. But what caught her attention were the times when she managed to sneak peeks at his brooding form standing in front of a window, his dark, exotic features glowing under an auburn sunset or standing in relief under the glow of a moonlit night and he would look like a statue of a long dead ancient god. A personification of a great conqueror, dark and proud. It had always struck her as a melancholic sight. He looked so sad and proud all at the same time.

Like a king without a crown.

"Levi-san really cares about you, you know?" she told him in a calm voice after a while; used to their quiet conversations after a week of being always stuck together.

He flashed her a glare. "…Mother fucker needs to know his place."

"He _does_ know his place," she smiled a slight smile; barely there if it weren't for the softening of her eyes. "It is by your side."

He was silent for a moment and Chrome wondered why he seemed to be gritting his teeth and an expression on bitterness crossed his face. It almost seemed like her words were not the ones he wanted to hear.

And it made him angry.

"You're trying to seduce him, aren't you?" he accused her with a growl.

Chrome blinked before her eye widened. She had heard of these accusations all throughout the week even as he helped her with her incapacity. Every time she spoke privately with any other man he would accuse her of seducing them and he would promptly try to kill them. She had already seen two minor members get sent to the sick bay and treated by Lussuria after she called them to her to hand over some papers to send to Squalo. She regretted it ever since.

Experience had told her trying to defend herself in this sort of situation only got her into more trouble so she did what she always did.

"If there is some sort of misunderstanding I will take full responsibility for it," she answered softly, her hands resting primly on her lap. "I will explain to Captain Levi to clear up any sort of misinterpretation, Xanxus-sama."

He became quiet and Chrome wondered if this was the day when he would lash out his frustration and strike her. Although violent he was a fair man so if she did something that deserved such punishment then she should contemplate on her mistakes later.

And then he groaned slightly, enough for her to look up and see him rub the bridge of his nose with his fingers. She could see from the throbbing on his temples that he was having a terrible headache so she acted automatically.

"It's getting worse, isn't it?"

He shot her a glare but winced and closed his eyes again. "Don't start."

"You're only making it worse if you keep on not having enough sleep."

"Shut the fuck up; it's none of your business."

"We could be attacked at anytime; we'll need you in top condition if we want to win this private war Trinidad is waging on you and the Mafia."

"The only reason for my headache is _you_, woman!"

"…Then please let me get rid of it."

They clashed gazes, his fierce and violent and hers firm and pleading. Hard and Soft, Black and White, Solid versus Liquid.

And then his shoulders fell from its defensive stance, like a lion deciding its prey was not worthy of his brutality. "Fine."

Chrome was elated and relieved. She had been feeling guilty all this while for taking his room and he had been so kind… "Please take off your shirt and lie down on the bed on your front."

He scowled and she felt his very nature rebel against taking instructions from a woman. But then grunted and practically ripped his white dress shirt off his body and threw it on the floor. Chrome was treated with the sight of scars scattered across his torso, some of them even peeking from inside the waist band of his pants. He stood in front of her straight and proud, his piercing eyes daring her to say something; cringe or express her disgust or pity him. She felt neither.

She then remembered when Levi mentioned how women thought to take advantage and use Xanxus and merely tolerated his presence because of his scars; how they thought he was unworthy of them and sought only to manipulate him because of his power and influence. Even as she tried to fight it she felt sad for him.

"I don't need your fucking pity." He growled at her and knelt on the floor on one knee in front of her to reach for his shirt and put it back on.

But she caught his hand before he could do so and caught his glare with a steady look. Before he could snarl at her again she released him and pushed her bangs back… and took off her eye patch.

She stared back at him; watching him stare at the scar that ran across her gouged out eye. How it would remain permanently shut for the rest of her life despite offers of getting her a transplant. She had never really shown it to anybody; even Mukuro-sama managed to only see the defect because she had no other choice seeing as he was possessing her at that time. She felt naked under his gaze. This was the one thing she had in common with Xanxus and she could see no other way to let him know that he did not disgust her. That she knew how he felt because she bore scars as well and she did not see him any less because of it because if he were a lesser being for having those scars then so was she…

She saw the hand he was going to use to pick up his shirt reach out towards her slowly… towards the eye she had just exposed and she waited and kept her gaze steady and welcoming. But when she smiled his hand stopped midway before clenching into a fist. Then he stood up and lay on the bed, face down.

"If you try anything funny I will rip your fucking arms off." His snarl was muffled by the pillow.

Chrome smiled. She had been accepted.

Carefully she managed to crawl to his side using her arms and her good leg until she found a comfortable position. It was difficult because of her wound but the bed was soft and as long as she did not put any undue pressure on it…

As soon as she lay her palms on his skin she heard him hiss and saw his hands, each lying on either side of his head, clench at the pillowcase hard enough to almost tear it to pieces.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" she asked in concern.

"_Nothing_." He replied in a muffled, half strangled growl that almost seemed breathless. "Just get on with it, damn it!"

Chrome blinked still concerned but she had enough confidence to know she hadn't hurt him. Gathering her courage she continued to touch him. She kept it gentle, wanting to trace the muscles and nerves that were giving him pain. When she found them all she started kneading at his nape. A slow gentle kneading; hard enough to sooth and light enough not to harm.

Touching him was like touching fire.

Chrome couldn't remember touching anyone who had such an enormous amount of body heat as he did. It was almost like putting a hand in boiling water. More scars riddled his back but her eye noticed that some of them weren't burn marks. She had been in the Mafia long enough to recognize gunshot, knife and even whip wounds to understand that some of his scars were not created by the Ninth's Zero Point Breakthrough. This man had had quite an eventful life. Yes, he deserved this relief.

Her hands worked down to his shoulders and she heard him groan again but she recognized the pleasure in it now. It sounded as though he were trying to hide it behind gritted teeth, trying to deny whatever he was feeling.

"It's fine," she whispered in his ear as her hands dissolved one muscular knot after another. Her hands were already moving down his back. "You're fine…"

His hips pushed itself hard against the bed at her words and his breathing turned into short, slow pants. He stubbornly refused to release another sound after that.

Patiently Chrome worked on the kinks with meticulous care until her fingers ached and he slowly allowed the tension in his body melt away. His muscles were a lot harder and tenser than Boss' and Hayato's after a day of hard work but they were no less needy. When she was finished, she smiled at the snores that were now originating from the man on the bed.

He was asleep.

_Good_, Chrome thought as she ran her fingers over his hair and brushed it away from his sleeping face. He needs this. The tension she just rubbed away told her just how much had been on his mind recently.

Her gaze went back to the whip wounds decorating his back. They were old. Very old. So old that it was hard to distinguish them from the riddle of burn scars running across his body. She couldn't help but wonder where they came from. With wounds like these it was no wonder he grew up as such a head strong man. Determined to get what he wanted no matter what so no one would be able to humiliate him like this ever again.

Compassion welled inside her and she promised herself she would protect him for as much as she could, at least while she was here. She wasn't really needed, what with Levi and Squalo around him; they would all lay their lives for him even though they might say otherwise. Just as she would lay her life for Boss, Mukuro-sama and everyone she cared about…

Suddenly she felt tired. Chrome blinked at her hands.

I-Pin warned her that massages may also be used to transfer chi into another person's body and if she was not careful the depth of her compassion would be sapped by her patient. Her exhaustion must be the consequence she had to pay. Using chi was almost like using Flames. She needed to sleep… but where?

She spied the bed post Xanxus was leaning against earlier and crawled over to it. Leaning her head against it she closed her eyes and slept; careful not wake the man snoring in her borrowed bed.

And wallowed in dreams of oranges and spices mixed with brandy…

/*****/

**A.N.**: Please Review ^-^v


	17. Chapter 17

**Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme: Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**AN****:** OMG, you guys I am SO sorry for the long wait! I have dropped off the face of the earth but I've got a reason! There was a _really_ nasty storm here that involved a LOT of flooding and my computer (BECCA!) drowned. I was at work at that time and well… *cries* Anyway, I had to wait and work off enough money to buy me a new computer and so here I am again! Sorry it took a while. Also, lately I was pretty depressed. I was working so hard on a promotion at work only to be passed over because my supervisor thought I haven't been in the company long enough. I literally spent 16 hours a everyday for it! The day of the storm there were only 9 of us who bothered to come to work that day; 9 PEOPLE! Well at least I got SOMETHING out of it. -_-; I don't think I'll be angling for any promotions for a while; it really took the life out of me. I was too tired to even think about writing so I'm sorry you guys got dragged into it.

Thank you so much for waiting for this new chapter and I hope you enjoy it**.**** ^_^v**

**Reviews Response**

**deadly-chronicles**: *HUG* My dear, first of all, let me tell you that I have made you a grievous wrong. That fan art I promised you was soaked and my files could not be retrieved from the computer any longer so I'm starting over. I hope you can give me a little bit more time to keep my promises to you.

LOL, goodness, don't hate on Tsuna so much! He's got a whole organization to run and the party is a part of his duties as Boss! Glad you can see the bright side of Chrome-chan being in the Varia.

How can I possibly lie to you?! Don't worry, just give me a few more chapters and you'll see EXACTLY what happened between Chrome and Tsuna! I was so happy you took notice of Levi; I really wanted him to grow some roots in this story.

Goodness, I guess you're looking forward to Book 5 huh? I will endeavor to make that a read you will not regret; I just hope I can keep up with your expectations. Sorry about the book, that annoys me when it happens to me too he he.

Now that I've got the means lemme check out your new stuff!

**Indyctator**: I MISSED YOUUUUU! Look into your Inbox now, my dear! *BIG HUG*

**Black Diamond07**: Really? You think so? Thank you so much! And yes, I DO think they have the potential for compatibility! Xan-chan is just too anal retentive in the manga to realize this yet! Lol

**Tina**: Oh my then you are a girl after my own heart! First thing I did when I got my new computer was to check out the manga! I can't believe Fran asked her to kiss him! I totally fan girled LOLOL

I am so happy that people are beginning to notice Levi as a character in this story, I really do want him to take up his own position here. Believe it or not I see Levi as a very important part of Xan-chan's life. I've been waiting for the chance to get him to blow up on Chrome.

I'm so happy you did because I really had a special place in my heart for that scene. As for a turning point uhm… well I'm writing this series in a kind of otome game style; I wrote the description in my profile because people won't stop PMing me asking me how I'm going to write the books and that I shouldn't dare since they want Xanxus to have a happily ever after with Chrome.

I love your theories; as for Tsuna's portrayal I hope I do not disappoint. And Kyoko moments well… *wink wink*

Thank you so much for leaving me feedback, I loved reading every bit of it! *HUG*

**purplenurpless**: LOL I love Kyo-chan and Muku-chi as well but probably not as much as Hayato or Xanxus. 6996 huh? Well I hope this chapter makes you happy then lol; thanks for the review!

**BlackAngel'sWrath**: lol, sorry, can't just yet but pls wait a few more chapters and all shall be revealed. Also, about Hibari, if I made him appear more he would own this fic lol; better wait for Book 5; thanks so much for leaving me a review and I hope you enjoy this next installment! ^_^v

**Jao Jao**: *HUG* Aww, don't sweat it, I'm just so happy you left me anything at all! Thank you so much for enjoying the story and please enjoy this chapter!

**Rainingroses**: I LOVE INSANELY LONG REVIEWS! AND I LOVE YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE IT! I just hope your mom didn't mind watching you spend so much time on the computer ^-^;

I am so happy, there aren't a lot of people who would give this pairing a chance and everytime someone reviews and leaves a comment takes me closer to my goal when I begun writing this story; and that is to LET CHROME-CHAN RULE THE WORLD! Yeah because I like pimping her around and play around in crack pairings that involve her. ^_^;

To me, having her pair up with Xanxus is just a possibility I couldn't resist, it's got a world of its own that just NEEDS to be explored. Yes, I also ADORE Bester, he'll be there around later in the fic when Xan-chan gets a bit more *ehem* grabby.

Thank you so much for the review and I am so happy you're taking the time to read my story.

**Devil-Queen-Wolf-666**: I TOTALLY agree; my mother's got arthritis so her hand swells up on cold days and I have to massage ointment onto them until the swelling goes down. My own hands ached after. Thanks so much for enjoying the story and leaving me review, I'm so honored! About your request, don't worry, Bester should be appearing later on; Mink… hmm… lemme see okay?

**Tyffanie. T:** O_O 4 AM?! Oh Gosh; that sounds just like me on my worse days lol. Thank you thank you THANK YOU for reading this fic and leaving me a review! You are so sweet and awesome for letting me know how this affects your life and it's such a joy to read. I hope and pray you will keep not regret reading this story anytime soon!

**Maverick no Knight: **Wow, thanks so much; I am so happy you were able to find this story or I would have missed out on such a wonderful review from you; thank you so much! As for my rating, er, well… in case you haven't noticed yet, Xanxus and the others can be quite a bunch of potty mouths. And some M stuff should be happening on later in the chapters; I just wanted to play it safe; can't have ff delete this story all of a sudden, right? lol

**lady madland: ***HUG* My dear Morgana, as always your reviews give me such joy; hearing from you alone makes me so happy so don't you worry about anything. You can reply to me in any way you wish! I sincerely hope everything is going fine in your side of the world and your side of life. It also makes me happy that you are doing well. I missed you dearly. *HUGS some more*

Don't worry, I am a great believer of compensating fairly and I already have some of them n the works; you have already seen Part 1 which was that tiny bit of fan art; I've got 2 more to go break even with you. It's okay, I like evil. I think you're like Niijima evil from Kenichi lol; so I still love ya!

About your review I blushed in pleasure when I found outI made you proud about my Hibari portrayal; I'm telling you that bastard was tricky as hell to understand and it took me a while before I was able to make a decent plot out for him and Chrome. It's so ironic that one of the most popular pairings for Chrome was where I got really stumped. I am SO going to enjoy torturing the bastard when the time comes for Book 5! And don't worry about Takeshi-kun; he won't get his chance until Book 3 lol. I heartily thank you for your comment on Levi; I's so honoured that a writer of your calibre would take the time to notice him and what I've done to him. I really felt that however comical he is that Afro Perv is still an integral part of Varia; he may not be the smartest but he's still one of the strongest.

LOL well, as I was writing that part I _was_ going KUFUFUFUFU while typing on my keyboard. I was thinking 'OMG the readers are going to FREAK when they read this part' gahahahaha! So happy you enjoyed it!

WHOA there, cow girl, on behalf of Tsuna-kun I have to say it's not entirely HIS fault. Hehe. Gosh I am just ITCHING to write the birthday party now; if only mother nature had not interrupted!

So far this fic is going according to plan and I hope I will not disappoint you with anything anytime soon, my good friend. Love you for ALWAYS don't you ever doubt it! I hope I have written some things in this chapter that will be worth your enjoyment because I WANT to make you happy.

**Whisper of Echo: ***BIG BLUSH* Oh wow thank you so much! I am so happy you like the way I write. It honors me so much to know you like not only the story but the way I tell it; you are so kind! And I have converted you to X96 eh? Well then… WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE! (insert evil laughter here)! I hope you continue enjoying this story!

**Max Tiger:** I have to say you, my friend, have given me one of _the_ best reviews of this story EVER! I cannot THANK YOU enough, you're words have certainly made me happy to be alive and able to write this fic. I am SO happy I was able to make you interested enough in this fic; I am so grateful. To be honest, your comment has given me the strength to pursue an original story of mine that ad been shelved because of my own unsureness; I hope you continue to enjoy this story; it felt so good reading it. I am so grateful to you.

**Yuuki12397:** Sorry it took so long, dear, here you are; and I love a strong (albeit not TOO strong Chrome) as well!

**Weaver Of Nightmares: **AWWW GEEZ thanks so much! Yeah, I really did a number on Squalo there, didn't I. I just really needed him and you guys to get into the mystery of Chrome's exile a little bit more but I didn't want his snooping to be too boring or angsty. And to be honest, I really DO think this is what ill happen in case Squalo does go around looking for info inside the Vongola umbrella. Lol; I do hope you enjoy the rest of this story!

**Valyn**:*cries* OMG why are you so nice?! Thank you so much, I am so touched by your words, they all felt so heartfelt that I couldn't help myself! I CERTAINLY do everything I can to make you enjoy the story to the best of my ability! Your review is an inspiration, I loved every word! You honor me deeply by taking your time to let me read your thoughts. Words are never enough but THANK YOU!

**darkfirex199: **Dearest I am SO sorry for the long wait; I hope this makes up for it; I will endeavour to try and update regularly.

**ForbiddenBlueAngel: **Wow, thank you, I don't mind you not reviewing all the chapter, you already honor me with three great ones; it's not often that I come across with a reviewer who appreciates the art I put in here so thank you so much. Thank you for sparing the time to read this story and seriously, you flatter me way too much by saying I write similarly like Amano; thank you! And no, I cannot and will NOT blame you for imagining right in between the lines; that's the way writers work. You've got no idea how much I had to resist putting in some of the more ecchi details; thanks so much!

**: **Thank you so much; yes Chrome-chan is the best dark girl out there; she made Goth Loli rock in a whole different pace! GO CHROME-CHAN! I hope you enjoy this latest chapter too.

**rina92:** Bad at reviewing? What are you talking about this review was so touching! THANK YOU! I am so happy; when you said my writing had so much substance it really turned me into a pile of mush! Thanks so much! I sincerely hope you stick around for the other books as well, you are awesome!

**96bittersweetblackcat: **Yup! Like a three tiered cake with inch thick icing! Thanks for the review!

**Anonymous**:*blush* Wow thanks so much, I am so happy you are liking this story and my writing; I am extremely flattered and I hope I won't ever betray your expectations.

**Akiana96:** Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much for the review.

**ii-animeandmangaluver-ii: ***sniff sniff HUG* THANK YOU! IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO'S NOT RUSHING MEEE! I'm still sorry about the long wait and I hope you forgive me! Please enjoy the rest of the story. And yes I totally agree with you, I wish more people would write about Chrome more, she's such an awesome character with little development in the actual manga since it's all boys. LOVE YA FOREVER, CHROME-CHAN!

**belfranieXS:** lol, really? Thanks so much, I really do LOVE this pairing but then again I love almost anyone with Chrome because she deserves to be loved! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

**Guest**: *blush* Really? Thanks so much; I've read some really amazing Chrome stories on this site so I'm really glad you like mine like this. I hope I don't disappoint.

**Lady-Luck93:** Whoa thanks you so much! To be called a favourite by anyone is a big honor but to be acknowledged by a fellow writer is an even BIGGER honor! Your review made me feel like I won in the Olympics or something! I do hope you continue reading! It's so unbelievable that I can get people like you to read my humble work.

**This neko loves anime: **Here's your answer, I hope you enjoy it and I'm sorry for the wait. Thanks so much for reviewing!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Please Enjoy! ^_^v**

**Chapter 17**

Rokudo Mukuro passed by a mirrored alcove and stopped to check himself out.

Clad in a three piece tuxedo and shiny black shoes, his hair combed back even with his ponytail and usual hairstyle still in place, he could definitely say he looked good. Damn good if he should say so himself. The only thing he hid was his red pupil to better blend in a crowd where only the norm was acceptable, effectively clouding it over with the illusion of a blue eye the same shade as his left one. Sure; _some_ people would think he was just a narcissistic bastard for thinking so; but no one really listened to Gokudera Hayato's opinions except Tsunayoshi-kun. Also, if he started caring about what other people thought then he wouldn't have ended up living in Vindice for almost a year and garnering one of the most fearsome reputations in the world.

He saw a beautiful woman in a mint green gown and dripping with diamonds of possibly every color imaginable shoot him a shy glance from behind thinking he couldn't see; she was visible to him from the mirror though and Mukuro turned around to give her a wink. The poor woman dropped her champagne flute as she gaped at him flushed and wide eyed.

The male Mist Guardian would have normally flirted a little and blended in a little bit more, as he would if given any other time, but he was here on more important business. More important than toying with the emotions of mortals who took so much of their peaceful and privileged lives for granted. Gathering himself in a more muted fashion, he struggled to keep his overwhelming charm in a low profile so as to blend in with the usual rich and powerful crowd.

Being able to mingle with this sort of crowd had been an ordinary thing for him since he was old enough to reach the necessary height requirement to legally drive a car. It was a very simple requirement for acquiring powerful people's secrets and infiltrating the hidden depths of their lives and being a smooth talker garnered him the trust and devotion of these elite far too easily; manipulating them to his whims had almost become a boring task. It was truly too easy for him to cater to the vanity of the simple. He mostly used their secrets for his own gain, garnering the power he needed to be on equal footing with the Mafia he so wished to destroy. However, if he thought it would benefit him, he would divulge these secrets to the Vongola. For a price, of course. As if he would easily give away secrets of people he had driven mad with grief and despair. No, the price for his cooperation was truly high indeed.

Mukuro couldn't help but frown slightly as that price crossed his mind for another troubling moment.

Although he was wearing the other half of the Mist Vongola Gear he still could not count himself as part of the accursed Mafia infestation but... his mind flooded with images of his beloved Nagi. Whatever he did for the Vongola he did for her. If it kept Nagi safe then he was willing to crush the existence of his hate for it. Of course his pride would never admit that openly. Only anyone who ever bothered to 'look' at him would know he did not exist solely for the destruction of the Mafia anymore; not since Nagi healed his scarred and broken heart. And Sawada Tsunayoshi was one of the few who actually bothered to 'look' and extended his protection to Nagi without any conditions or hesitations.

However...

Mukuro struggled not to frown darkly as he picked up a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter. Something had happened lately. Not just the potential danger to Nagi that he had encountered and reported to Hibari Kyouya almost a week ago now; it was something of a more personal level. True, their most intimate bond was already broken a long time ago when Nagi decided she wanted to create her own existence, but that did not mean that he was not able to sense her feelings anymore. If he tried hard enough and when he caught her off guard, her thoughts sometimes brushed against his like a soft flutter of bird's wings. This past year he had sensed an inner pain in her that worried him. He had tried to question her about it but when he did she walled her thoughts shut from him behind such a thick barrier that not even he— one of the most powerful illusionists of all time— could possibly penetrate it. Even if he could he had long found out that Chrome was better at playing into the mind than him now, something he couldn't help but be proud of and respected her. It disturbed him, though, that she wouldn't let him help her when she knew fairly well that he would destroy anyone who dared cause her suffering. It was as though she was thirteen all over again when she refused to accept his illusions to provide her with internal organs.

On the other hand she probably knew just what he would do to the bastard who hurt her _very_ well so if she was walling her thoughts and feelings from him so well then it was possible that the source of her suffering was someone she knew and held in high regard for. The question was... who was it? Who did he want to skewer with his trident for putting his precious Nagi in such pain?

His thoughts were disturbed by a particularly shrill set of laughter. Mukuro looked up, saw his target and smirked darkly. The man who had dared hurt his precious Nagi. He would have missed this little bit of intelligence had Fran not been at the Vongola headquarters looking for her. Having him accidentally overhearing a phone conversation between Lal and Gokudera was a stroke of luck since he knew the Storm Guardian would not have volunteered such information to him without some bloodletting.

Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad was surrounded by a bevy of women who could barely even stand straight because of all the jewelry they were wearing. Some of them were practically spilling out of their dresses, trying to impress the men around them with their artificially enhanced cleavages. The male Mist Guardian had to give the woman he winked at earlier a little bit of credit; at least _she_ wasn't trying so hard.

Walking smoothly among the gathering of perfumed, bejeweled bodies and stuffed forms in tuxedos and thousand dollar dresses, the male illusionist stalked his target looking entirely in place until he was standing right behind the man. As he waited for the laughter to die down around the Spanish politician, the former Vindice prisoner idly thought about how easy it was to just stick a knife behind the man's shoulder blades and rip his heart out. He wondered if Sawada or anyone would thank him if he did such a thing. Mukuro chuckled to himself at that. It would be just too easy… However, he had too much finesse for that and a much bigger picture to see. No matter how difficult it is to hold in the rage he was feeling at the thought of this worthless mortal hurting even a hair on his Nagi's head.

"Oya oya," he spoke softly, effectively taking the attention of the small assembly for himself. He smiled at the ladies who were now looking up at him with blushes on their pudgy faces and the curious, envious yet admiring gazes of the men with them. His target was the only one who seemed to be exuding any sort of class among this company by regarding him with a reserved, politely raised brow. Mukuro continued in perfectly accented Spanish. "I have been searching for the liveliest company all evening, so lucky I finally found it."

"There's plenty of lively company around here," one of the men around them replied with a wide smile. Mukuro pegged him for a boot licker. "But when you are around someone like Señor Cornelio then things can only get interesting."

Yes, definitely a boot licker, Mukuro thought, mentally yawning. His instincts never lie about this kind; they were the easiest to read.

"But it looks like it's about to get _more_ interesting now," one of the women with dyed red hair purred behind her wine glass as she smiled seductively at him from beneath curled lashes. "Are you here for the auction, señor?"

"Perhaps," the male Mist Guardian played the game and played the game well. It was what made him a perfect spy. "But then again I _may_ only be interested in what they're serving for dinner."

The woman laughed. Shrilly and in quite a brittle fashion. So _she_ was the source of that ear piercing shriek of mirth from earlier. Mukuro labeled her as one of the people he would Only-Go-Near-When-Necessary tag.

"My, you're a hungry one, aren't you?" another woman in a form fitting bright violet dress smacked painted red lips in his direction.

"My dear, you have no idea," he flashed her a predatory grin. "You will actually find me _quite_ insatiable. In _all_ things."

The women practically swooned, their breathing suddenly uneven.

"You must sit beside me at dinner!" the first woman reached over and placed a jeweled hand on his forearm.

The second woman glared and snatched at his other arm. "No! He's going to sit beside _me!"_

"I saw him first!"

"_Let go_!"

The women started hissing at each other like a pair of spoiled cats.

Mukuro had been in enough of these situations to know what to do to get out of them. "Oya oya... I would love to sit with both of you ladies but then again we should follow the seating arrangements planned by the hostess, shouldn't we?"

A light bulb seemed to appear in both the ladies' eyes at the thought.

"Right, I should find her right away!" One of the women ran off, possibly to find said hostess.

"She better approve!" the other woman said rushing off in another direction. "She still owes me from last time!"

And so, with just a few well placed words, Mukuro found himself female free once again. It amused him that none of the competing ladies even thought about asking for his name before seeking the hostess to make her change her mind. Now, to get rid of the resident lackeys of his desired target and get this detour over with.

"It's so tiresome, isn't it? To be easily surrounded by such beautiful women?" he addressed the men around him with a quasi innocent smirk on his face and watched their faces turn red with resentment and envy. Good. Now to drive the knife home. "But then again you wouldn't know what I'm talking about, would you, gentlemen?"

Mukuro could practically _hear_ their prides take a beating. But he also knew their kind of people would not dare conduct themselves inappropriately in such a place with so many other people watching. These boot lickers liked to do their dirty work through others and pretend to be smart. They were so easy to make fools of.

"E-excuse me, Señor Cornelio, I- I will need to find my wife."

"Y-yes, we will see you later at dinner."

And just like that they were gone. It was so easy to rattle the cages of self importance for these people. They only left because they felt self conscious and feeling inferior to an unknown but seemingly important looking stranger like him was more than they could bear and it was so funny that rubbing that in their faces was notoriously simple. It had never ceased to earn his scorn.

However this one who was left behind…

"That wasn't so gentlemanly, señor," Cornelio frowned at him politely but his eyes flashed his disapproval. "That was not how a gentleman should converse."

Mukuro smirked at that, already irritated by his tone of self righteousness. "And who ever said I was any sort of gentleman, señor?"

"That does not give you leave to be rude."

"Ah, but it does, as a matter of fact," Mukuro's smirk widened and grew meaner. _"Not_ being a gentleman gives me leave to do _anything_ I want because I would not be held back by the notions of conformity or common opinion."

"Such infamy will not serve you well with this particular group of people." Trinidad told him sternly but Mukuro could read the curiosity in his eyes.

"Only if you know how to use such infamy in your favor, señor." the male Mist Guardian flashed the other man a knowing look from behind his champagne flute.

Trinidad suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"I," Mukuro set down his empty champagne flute in a tray of a passing waiter with such grace it was almost otherworldly. "Am Rokudo Mukuro."

Recognition set in and the former Vindice prisoner watched with dark amusement as the Spanish politician opened his mouth to call for help but Mukuro saw to it that that would be impossible by surrounding the Spaniard with very sharp blades. One little movement and he would become a human sized pin cushion.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Señor Trinidad, it would be so very simple for me to just kill you right where you stand but I have no personal grudge against you since we are going against a common enemy." he chuckled through his lie at the angry look on the other man's face.

It truly was too simple.

Trinidad bared his teeth at the heterochromic eyed man. "_Bastard_! You Mafia are cowardly, evil _liars!"_

"Now, now, evil and liar I will accept but I draw the line over being called _Mafia_ _or_ _cowardly,_" Mukuro pricked the man at the neck and Trinidad whimpered in pain even as a trickle of blood smoothly made its way to the collar of his pure white tuxedo. The Mist Guardian was also amused further when the Spaniard's coffee brown eyes started rolling around desperately for help but the guests all around them continued to laugh and mingle as though all was right in the world. "No one will help you. You are the only one who can see these blades. Everyone else thinks you are just acting silly."

Trinidad began to sweat but tried to glare at him fiercely. "What do you want, you bastard?! Even if you kill me I won't be the end! Someone else _will_ rise against you heathens and gather _justice!"_

"Justice is for naive little girls and foolish little boys," Mukuro chuckled, his hands in his pockets and acting as though they were having a rather amusing conversation. "What I want is nothing so complicated."

"And what is it that you want?"

One of the floating blades moved closer between Trinidad's eyes in a way that made the man cross eyed and sweating bullets. "I have noticed that you have been looking too closely into the history of my precious little Chrome."

Trinidad's eyes widened and he forgot about the blade between his eyes. "And why should that concern you?!"

Now this time it was Mukuro's eyes that narrowed. "So you do not deny it? You are investigating her origins?"

"What if am?" Trinidad asked brusquely.

"I suggest you call it off." Mukuro told him with deceptive casualness.

"Why should I?"

"Any threat to my precious Chrome is a threat I take seriously."

"She is _mine!"_ the male illusionist did _not_ like the obsessed look on the other man's face. "You have no right to tell me what I should and should not do! You who have abandoned her and used her body and mind shamelessly like a tool!"

"Oya? So you know about that much?"

"I KNOW _EVERYTHING_ ABOUT HER!"

At his outburst, Mukuro made the sharp point of a floating blade poke against the nape of his neck effectively convincing him to wave off worried bodyguards away who have noticed his anger. Thinking it was only an argument between two elites they complied. The illusionist eased up on the poking.

"Leave her be; my dear Chrome has no use for the likes of you."

"I beg to differ." Trinidad snarled at him, his eyes spewing with hate.

"By whose decree?" Mukuro asked smoothly with a strained smile.

"By _God's_ decree!" Trinidad practically roared, his face turning to puce.

Mukuro couldn't help it. He laughed. "Do you even realize what you are _saying,_ señor?"

"She does not _belong_ to the _dark_!" the Spanish politician spat at him.

That made Mukuro stand up straight and stiffen but he kept the smirk on his face. "True. But she does not belong to the light of day either."

Trinidad continued to glare at him. "What do you mean?"

"She walks between the delicate lines of twilight. She glows in the night and brings shadows to the light of day enough for the light to see what darkness they cast behind them," Mukuro narrated fondly as he thought of his former vessel. "She is the calm that connects the moon and the sun and has strong wings that can fly through storms to find its calm center. You, señor exist in a light too bright to even notice your own darkness; so how can you say she belongs to you when you barely understand what she entails?"

Trinidad seemed taken aback by his words but angrily growled back. "And how do you know about her?! What gives you the right to speak of her that way?! You merely used her while you were trapped under Vindice prison! And threw her away when you couldn't use her anymore!"

"Because she is my opposite and my identical twin," Mukuro gave him a confident, smug smirk that would have been perfect on a cat. "Because she is everything that I am not and I am everything that she is supposed to be."

The Spaniard eyed him with disgust. "You are _nothing_ like her!"

"Oh?" Mukuro smirked at him darkly. "I have received reports of your exploits with the Varia; I know that you have experienced your power first hand. Are you sure she is nothing like me at all?"

"I will _cure_ her of your _taint_ then!" the politician snarled. "I will remove the taint that you have left on her soul and she will be born again into the light!"

"Señor Trinidad, I do not particularly care what you are planning to do with the Mafia. Burn them, roast them, cut them all to pieces, I don't care. But a word of warning," his red eye glowed and his pupil transformed into the kanji for hell in such a way that Trinidad took a step away from him and stopped merely as the sharp reminder of his immobility presented itself again at his nape and lower back. "If you hurt my precious little Chrome again _no one_; not even your God, will be able to save you from the hell I will put you through. You would be wise to remember _that."_

With those words Mukuro started to walk around to take his leave as smoothly as he had arrived. It wasn't until the illusionist was sitting in his car and nodded for Chikusa to drive away did the illusion forged blades around Trinidad faded away leaving the Spaniard to curse and sweat, trembling and afraid about how easy it was for someone to come so close to killing him.

Mukuro, however, remained deep in thought.

Inside his car he looked out into the glittering Segovia night life with his legs crossed casually and his chin on the back of his hand.

"How did it go, Mukuro-san?" Ken asked anxiously from the passenger seat beside Chikusa after they have left the city limits to drive off towards the nearest airport and get on with their next errand.

Mukuro didn't look back at Ken but his smirk spoke volumes in its place. "As well as it should be, I suppose."

"So the reports from the Vongola are true?" Chikusa asked without taking his eyes away from the road. "He is out to destroy the Mafia?"

"Apparently so," the illusionist nodded once. "He was much more interesting than I thought."

"Because he's starting with the Vongola?" Chikusa clarified, more for Ken's benefit than for the confirmation of his own thoughts.

Mukuro nodded, nonetheless. "You've got to give him some credit. Destroying the Mafia by starting with the Vongola which is the most powerful Family in the entire world by garnering public sympathy was well thought out."

"Then why aren't we helping him, Mukuro-san?" Ken asked, tilting his head to the side like a curious puppy. "Don't we want to destroy the Vongola too?"

"Idiot."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, KAKIPI?!"

"Kufufufufufu, I'm afraid I am going to have to agree with Chikusa on this one, Ken." Mukuro chuckled.

"But, Mukuro-saaaannn!" the blond whined.

The heterochromic man ignored him and continued to look out his window. "While I sympathize with his cause I cannot abide a person like that. A man who seeks to destroy because of fear is doomed to fail before he even begins."

"But didn't you say his plans were very well thought out?" Ken asked, confused.

"True; but a man like that could not have thought about all of those details by himself alone," Mukuro answered in bored tones. "He may be bright but he is not sly. He is much too blunt and narrow minded to have thought this all through himself."

"So he's just a pawn," Chikusa stated, his voice still in a monotone even after all these years. "Mukuro-sama... Are you saying he may be a pawn of the other threat to Chrome? Is this the reason why you appeared before Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad in your true form instead of using a vessel?"

Mukuro met Chikusa's eyes through the rear view mirror guardedly. Chikusa had always been rather sharp. "If my suspicions are correct then our pretty little skylark would unexpectedly be on his way digging out the root to Señor Trinidad's rather clever puppet master. Once the root is crushed there would be no way for that dangerous flower to bloom and wreak its havoc."

"What?!" Ken cried out in dismay. "But if that happens then wouldn't that mean we'd be helping out the Mafia?!"

"True," Mukuro smiled at Ken in a way that chilled the animal mimicry combat specialist to the bone. "But in doing so we will also be able to protect my precious little Chrome. And besides... no one destroys the Vongola but me."

Chikusa had been with Mukuro long enough to know when his reasons were all just a lie. Ken might not trouble himself with thinking about the more intricate details of their own operations but Chikusa had never credited the blond with that much intelligence. The Kokuyo may be pestering the Vongola in any which way they could just enough to make them pull their hairs out but unless Sawada Tsunayoshi proves himself disappointing in the male illusionist's eyes then they would also continue helping the Vongola no matter how covertly. Of course, Mukuro hated speaking of such things so plainly. The Mist master preferred talking in riddles rather than stating them bluntly, Chikusa always thought it may be the reason why he was always so at odds with Hibari Kyouya and amused by Sasagawa Ryohei. Those two preferred to settle things with their fists whereas Mukuro preferred to settle things in underhanded ways. Also, the Vongola held one very important factor that Mukuro had no wish to betray.

Chrome.

Since she finally separated herself as an entity from Mukuro she never really forgot her loyalty to Kokuyo and Mukuro had given her the wings she needed to fly. Her dedication for everything she did all rooted back to Mukuro everyone knew it was no secret that she would do anything and everything for the former Vindice prisoner. Her love was bottomless, unconditional and even though Mukuro always seemed to ignore this he had gone to plenty of lengths to ensure she was kept safe at _all_ times. Theirs was a strange sort of love made even stranger by the kind of character Mukuro was but it had become the secret envy of many in the Mafia world.

In short, if Sawada Tsunayoshi ever _does_ anything that would rouse even a _hint_ of disapproval in Chrome's eyes then the Vongola might as well be dead meat. Chrome might think that she was protecting the people that Mukuro liked but if Chikusa became any judge, he'd say it was the opposite. Thus the reason why Mukuro stayed on the edges of the Vongola's existence. The illusionist's presence in front if Trinidad tonight was proof enough; Mukuro had never been known to make blunt moves since they would easily be traced back to him and can botch a well made plan in a lot of ways. But when he found out from Fran that Chrome had become the object of another man's obsession he immediately ordered Chikusa to change their plans, fake their passports and get them into Spain within the next 10 hours after reading the report on the Vongola's exclusive intranet blog.

Mentally, Chikusa made plans to keep his Boss posted on everything Vongola would be doing about the matter; he had known Mukuro enough to know that he would _want_ word of everything that will happen to Chrome even though he would never state it bluntly. It was one of the reasons why Mukuro kept him around. With him, the illusionist didn't need to use a lot of words.

He reserved those for Chrome.

/*****/

"WHOA! What happened to _you_?!"

Hayato scowled at the two scientists already gaping at him. Or more accurately, the left side of his face currently covered in a thick ice pack courtesy of I-Pin who was apologizing the entire time she was fixing him up.

The red head Shouichi stared at him in horrified disbelief and the blond Spanner regarded him in lazy amusement. All in all, it was not something he'd consider a fun experience and something he was _not_ about to talk about with these two lousy busy bodies. "I wasn't looking and I hit a wall."

Spanner tried not to smile but his laughter bled through his voice. "That wall must have had a mean right hook on it."

The angry Storm Guardian just glared sullenly and wanted nothing more that to shove that lollipop Spanner was sucking right into the mechanic's throat and watch him choke on it. Yeah, the bastard knew what really happened; that didn't give him the right to laugh at him, though. It was a good thing Shouichi was a lot more sensible and had the grace to try and ignore the sizeable bruise on his face.

Hayato's celadon green eyes flashed threateningly at the blond and promptly flipped him off.

"So Ryohei finally found out, huh?" Spanner knew Hayato enough to not be afraid of the silver haired man's glares and promptly ignored the gesture. "How?"

"Shut it," Hayato snarled. "I don't want to talk about it."

"So how is he going to take care of it?" Spanner persisted, still trying to hide his smirk. "He's not out to hit Vongola, is he?"

"He'll be hurting the Tenth again over _my dead body_." In fact, he already took the blow meant for Tsuna. Thank God I-Pin told him just in time before the stupid Lawn-head managed to reach The Tenth's office. "He won't dare _do_ anything. I made sure of it."

"Oh?" Spanner raised a brow at him. "What did you tell him?"

"Was there a _reason_ why you guys called me down here? Or are you just going to stare at me like I'm porn?" the silver haired man growled as he popped a cigarette in his mouth and flicked at an specially engraved lighter to start it up, getting aggravated by the blonde's questioning. "I'm busy too, you know?"

Shouichi blushed predictably while Spanner just chuckled as he proceeded to fumble at the remote control for the projector they had prepared when they sent for the Vongola Tenth's right hand man. "Uh... yeah... sorry."

The blond mechanic pulled up a screen of a page filled with complicated equations projected at a white wall across from them even as Shouichi shut off the lights.

Hayato squinted at it, his features mellowing at the sight of the formulas. "Is that what I think it is?"

"More or less," Spanner nodded, also staring at the formula projected up on the wall. "We've been conducting tests trying to find out what the chemical make up of this Dying Will Flame Douser is; this is basically what Shouichi have come up with so far."

"Uh…" the red head blushed and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Spanner helped a lot too."

Hayato rolled his eyes at this. "And?"

"We're trying to make the same thing out of these tests," Shouichi nodded, taking over. "But no matter what we do we can't seem to make an exact replica. Every time we compute a scenario of our results on someone with data like Xanxus his flames just end up evaporating our made up chemical."

"Then maybe the calculations are wrong," Hayato remained scowling at the screen, stepping a little closer towards it and squinting at the screen. "That or you're missing a very important element that makes them soak into the skin and into whatever that makes our flames blaze."

"That would be true but check this out."

Spanner switched the image on the wall with another one; this one with a used bullet that looked like it came from a military issued machine gun. Then Shouichi typed in a series of commands into the computer and the picture of the bullet was replaced by a video taken at Giannini's lab.

The same bullet they showed him was now standing on a tripod and showed the chubby inventor aiming at it with one of his latest experiments which was a gun that fired off Dying Will Flames like a flame thrower would.

Giannini shot the bullet with a bunch of Sun Flames which were the only flames they were allowed to experiment on but instead of burning or making any sort of reaction, the bullet remained unaffected. The tripod it was on was not so lucky.

"So?" Hayato shrugged. "Isn't that the bullet Lal sent here? The one that hit Dokuro? We already know it's resistant to Flames."

"That's just it," Shouichi pursed his lips solemnly at the bomber. "That was a brand new bullet we doused with the chemical compound from our research that was intended to replicate the Dying Will Flame Douser."

Hayato stopped short at this. "The hell..."

"That's right," Spanner turned the lights on, his face losing humor. "I think we've gotten what we wanted and were able to replicate the same element and the same function but we can't seem to make it work on a human being."

The Storm Guardian ran his fingers through his silver hair and sighed tiredly as he read between the lines. "So it's either Xanxus, Lal and Dokuro were lying or there's something about that compound we're missing. Alright, I get it, what do you guys need?"

Spanner and Shouichi both glanced at one another, Spanner eyeing him with his usual borderline apathetic blue stare and Shouichi with his nervous forest green eyes.

The expressions on their faces played a frustrating game of hit and miss with Hayato's patience. But before he could snarl at them to hurry up, Shouichi finally found the courage to speak.

"We need a test subject," the bespectacled inventor blurted out. "A _human_ test subject. Someone who has already been under the influence of this chemical at least once."

Hayato winced.

He doubted his Decimo would receive this request well.

"More specifically," Spanner tossed the projector remote control over to a corner. "Xanxus."

/*****/

Xanxus woke up with a soft sigh before opening his eyes and saw the familiar white of his pillow cases. He felt the familiar softness against his cheek and the rest of his body as he lay on his belly down and contentedly soaked in the feeling of pure peace and comfort seeping into his whole being that keeping him warm. He inhaled deeply and sleepily caught the soft fragrance of night blooming jasmines. The comforting fragrance was lulling him back to sleep...

Until he suddenly remembered he wasn't usually warm and content after waking up in the mornings.

The dark skinned Italian sat up with a start, his hands itching for his guns wondering who had played such a trick on him and promising them death, pain and mutilation once he got his hands on them... And then his eyes found _her._

Sleeping sitting up and against a wooden bedpost must not have been the most comfortable position in the world and yet her face was pure peace in corporeal form. Her lashes fanned her cheeks, her smooth skin flushed from sleep and her soft looking lips were parted delicately. Her beautiful, pale legs were pulled delicately under her, favoring her wounded leg. Her hands were on her lap and her hair covered the eye that she had so shamelessly exposed to him. She glowed in the dark room like she was touched by moonlight.

She must have fallen asleep right after she rubbed the tension off his back. Xanxus rolled his shoulders and the wash of relief he felt was enormous. This must be what a wild animal felt like when someone took out a huge splinter out of its paws. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this content or good even after sex. The pain that made his head throb like there was a huge drum being beaten on it and fraying on his nerves these past few days had stopped, disappearing like magic under her ministrations. All that was left was the steady thrum of desire in his veins, a relic of the touches she left behind on his skin. God, when she started kneading on his shoulders, he almost turned over, grab and devour her right then and there. The only thing stopping him was the fact that doing so would be admitting defeat to his baser instincts.

He was _Xanxus_; and he didn't _need_ anyone.

But before he knew it, Xanxus was already inches away from her, softly brushing her hair away from her disfigured eye with his fingertips gently to stare at that exposed scar hidden beneath. He wanted to touch it. His fingers itched to trace the puckered flesh from top to bottom. He wanted to see if she would respond if he licked it with his tongue and if he could make her look at him with more than just respect in her gaze.

He wondered if he could make her want him…

The realization of his own desires staggered him and made him pull back from her but his eyes remained glued to her face and the scar that was once again hidden away from his sight. He fought the urge to expose the sealed traces of her wound again. Seeing it on her face when she took off that damned eye patch and bared to him made her _vulnerable_ in his eyes and he _wanted_ her vulnerable. It made him feel as though he could be someone she might actually _need._ Her very presence melted everything that made him himself and it made him angry.

Stark raving, bone smashing, _fuck_ raising angry.

Xanxus wanted to raise hell and back and destroy everything around him because of it and he knew he _should._ Hell, his entire _reputation_ was founded on his legendary wrath. But one look, one touch, one fuck mothering _gesture_ and she doused it like water would to fire. And remembering what Lal said about her not really meaning anything special about those actions just made him feel _weak in a self pitying way that made him even angrier._ The fact that he had fallen into her spell by _allowing_ himself to _sleep_ in her _presence_ in his most _vulnerable_ state had made this fact undeniable and he would be a fool to ignore it. He was _not_ Varia's Boss because he was foolish.

He would admit to wanting her before this. Ever since that first night when she came to his unwanted rescue his blood sang with want of her. Back then he would have taken her without caring whether she wanted him back or not but _now_… Now he wanted to be the object of her need. And he knew he would let her have him without hesitation…

_God_ it _rankled_.

It teetered on the edge of making him swallow his pride. Only the fact that she was so mother fucking _careful_ about protecting that same goddamned pride against _being_ damaged kept her away from the business end of his X-guns. But that left him in a corner to kiss his own piss. With careful words, solemn actions and sincere _compassion_ she had tamed him into a corner without any of them even realizing it; free to wreak havoc and be himself and yet careful around _her._ Like she had somehow turned into something that _sustained_ him. And he can't do _shit_ about it short of shooting her dead and that option had already come and gone and flown out of the proverbial window after shitting on his head the moment he heard her talk about him that night when he found her alone with Lal.

Fucking _hell_ in a witch's _cunt._

His musings were cut off by the soundless creaking of his bedroom window. A normal person would not have been able to detect such miniscule movements but the assassin in him was rather particularly suspicious with movements that made little to no sound. In another quick moment, Xanxus had one of his guns in his hand and had trained it immediately at the golden haired intruder that dared step into his room without his express permission.

"Trash," he growled quietly, his crimson eyes glowing like embers in the dark room. "What the fuck did I tell you about walking into my room like that?"

The youngest member of the Varia slowly raised his hands up in surrender as he melted into his Boss' field of vision; his grin still whole and as wide as ever even though traces of nervousness made it twitch.

"U-ushishishishishi," came the Ripper's uneasy chuckle. "I'm back, Boss."

"Bel," Xanxus was seething and it could be felt from his growl even as he cocked his gun still aimed at the blonde's head. "If you wanted to die so badly you should have told me earlier. I've been itching to blow someone's brains off for a while."

"Ushi," Belphegor swallowed; his hands still in the air and sweating cold bullets down his neck. "I just wanted to let her know I'm home, Boss."

"The fuck should she care if you were or not?" he growled back, cocking off his gun's safety. Somehow, the thought of Dokuro looking forward to the scum's return made him furious.

"Excuse me, Bos— Ah, Bel! I knew I heard you come in~" Lussuria greeted as he came into the room, not even pausing after opening the door wearing the frilliest peach nightgown Xanxus had ever seen on a man. He almost did a double take. "Welcome back~!"

"BASTARD!" Levi roared as he came stomping in after the Varia Sun Guardian in his gray bathrobe. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE _DOING_ COMING INTO THE BOSS' ROOM LIKE THAT?!"

"VOOOIIIIII, YOU MOTHER FUCKING SHIT SUCKING _RETARDS_! CAN'T THIS WAIT TILL MORNING?!" Squalo screamed after them in a pair of ice blue pajama bottoms and a wife beater.

"Eh…?" Everyone turned towards the soft exclamation and saw Chrome rubbing her eyes with a knuckle, stirring from her sleep because of the commotion. When she realized they were surrounded and her defective eye was only hidden from everyone else by the fall of her hair she blushed and proceeded to hide it with her hand. "H-hello, everyone. Good… er… morning?"

Xanxus took one look at the sleepy expression on her face and gauged her lack of rest before turning back to his noisy officers with a glare that could have chilled molten lava. It was suddenly immensely important to him that _he_ would be the only person who would ever see her without her eye patch on. He was gripped by a possessiveness so strong it drove him crazy. Aiming his guns at them, all the Varia stiffened and waited for their imminent demise.

"Turn around." He ordered; his voice seething.

"Voi, what the fuck fo—"

Xanxus flipped the safety off his guns, the sound echoing menacingly in the room. "Turn. The fuck. Around. Trash."

Everyone immediately did what he said although from the perplexed look on their faces it was apparent they all thought he was nuts. Xanxus really didn't give a fucking shit as long as they kept their eyes away from her long enough for her to put the damned eye patch on.

_He_ was the only one who had the right to look at her bare face; he'll shoot anyone else who says otherwise.

"Xanxus-sama?" her soft voice froze him as though he were shot by the Zero Point Breakthrough all over again. "Are you alright now?"

He felt her carefully crawl toward him on the bed but continued to hold aim at his shitty subordinates, his glare never faltering even when he felt her touch on his brow. The only thing that indicated he knew she was touching him was the fact that he had suddenly stopped breathing for a moment. He also couldn't help but notice how she seemed to have taken advantage of the situation he made to put her eye patch back on just as he had planned.

"Your fever's gone; I'm so glad." He heard her whisper as she pulled her hand away. Xanxus wanted it back so bad he almost dragged her back towards him. But he remained motionless. For some odd, laughable reason he didn't want her to think he did not have the ability to be gentle. "Bel-san; you're back."

The blond assassin seemed to have forgotten the value of his life for a moment as he turned around and grinned at her warm greeting. "Of course; did you miss me, _mi piccolo duchessa_?"

"I was a little worried," she confessed. "The mission took longer than expected to be completed."

"Nah, the Prince just wanted to take his time." Belphegor answered; his usual arrogance surfacing as he preened in front of her.

It made Xanxus want to blow the blonde's brains out right then and there.

"And?" her gaze hardened all of sudden in a way that made Xanxus aware that beneath the softness she showed them was a will of steel. The will of a highly trained hitman. "How about the other thing I asked you to look into while you were out?"

Bel smirked back at her. "It was the reason why I wanted to see you first. I wanted to tell you you were right about those rotten officials you asked the Prince to look into."

This caught everyone's attention and the rest of his officers forgot they were not supposed to be looking at Dokuro again; they all had their attention on Bel now. Since the woman was already properly covered Xanxus chose to ignore this.

"Voi, what the hell does _that_ mean?"

The blond assassin gave the impression of winking at them despite his eyes being hidden under his hair. "Chrome-chan gave me a list of officials she was investigating before that rotten Trinidad attacked headquarters again."

Squalo frowned and nodded his head at that, immediately interested. "And? Did you find anything important?"

"Ushishi; it took a while— But I know who his accomplices are~"

The smiles on the Varia's faces could only be called predatory in their anticipation.

"Oh my~ And have you managed to ask any of them anything?" Lussuria bit his lower lip in excitement.

"I only got to question one of the higher up gophers, but he sang me a really pretty song about a certain Italian senator."

"Oh?" the shark raised a brow at him and Xanxus glared silently up at the younger man, wanting to hear whatever information he had gathered on the clueless morons who dared help the bastard he was so looking forward to kill. "Do you have the lyrics to back that up?"

"Ushi, of course! The Prince would not be a prince if he didn't."

All of Squalo's attention was directed right at the younger Varia officer now and Xanxus couldn't blame the damned shark. Shorthanded as they were and though they have all been too busy trying to keep up with jobs to even think about it he knew his second in command still tried to get more information on that bastard Trinidad. He knew the silver haired swordsman was efficient but even Squalo had his limits. He needed to secure their defenses to avoid an outright attack on their headquarters like that again and organize the squad.

"Did he tell you anything interesting?" the Varia Rain Guardian demanded.

"Seems like someone else is pulling this Italian Senator's strings; _someone_ who's not ashamed to ask for favors," Belphegor divulged smugly; grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "It's really quite interesting."

"Voi. Did he say who it was?"

"It really is a no brainer as to who's calling the shots there but I _did_ try to get the names of the other Italian politicians out of my gopher; he kept insisting the only person he knew working inside Trinidad's pocket was that senator he worked for. He kept saying he didn't know them all, though," Belphegor shook his head in mock sadness and shrugged. "Not even after I ripped out the rest of his fingers off."

"Eh? How weak; you're getting soft, Bel," Levi crossed his arms over his chest as he smirked down at the younger man condescendingly. "You could've just pulled out his teeth one by one."

"Seriously, how dumb can you be, perverted Afro-freak?" Bel rolled his eyes underneath his bangs, his tone making the Varia Lightning Guardian practically implode in fury but this was easily ignored. "I needed to understand what he was telling me; did you think I would have been able to do that without his teeth intact?"

The larger man's anger deflated. "Oh."

"And here again is one of the reasons why The Prince is smarter than your poor peasant brain."

"DO YOU REALLY WANT TO DIE, BEL?!"

"Ushishishi... Useless. All you can do is bark, Freak."

A gunshot rang in the room freezing everybody in it in a second. Xanxus glared behind the smoking tip of his X-Gun as he successfully restored order.

"Garbage," he growled at them all, his eyebrow twitching. "If you guys wanted to die that bad then just line up so I can shoot you in the head one by one."

Chrome just blinked just as everybody exploded in a frenzy of protests.

"VOOOOIIIIIII!"

"B-Boss!"

"Ushi!"

"Um... Xan-chan?" Lussuria hesitantly made his approach warily. Sure, he was still smiling his sweetest smile, but he didn't doubt for a second that Xanxus was as good as his word. "Before you kill us do you mind if I make a _teensy_ weensy request~?"

The Varia Boss scowled and managed to ask between gritted teeth. "What is it, scum?"

"Well it's about Chrome-chan's injury," Lussuria began, hand under his chin with his pinky out delicately. "I think she's ready to try on my Sun flames. It's been quite a while and her wound is almost healed. I think she already flushed the chemicals from the Dying Will Flame Douser enough for my flames to take effect."

Xanxus couldn't answer but his hand and his gun went down to lie harmlessly on the bed.

"I was going to ask you at dinner earlier," Lussuria continued, his tone wavering at the dark skinned Italian's continuous silence. "But you and Chrome-chan didn't come to dinner last night so I thought I should wait till morning."

"So why _didn't_ you wait until morning?" the Varia Boss asked sullenly, lifting a knee and resting an elbow on it to support the chin he held in his hand.

Lussuria dropped a sweat. "Well, Boss, technically it _is_ morning."

_Say what now?_ "What the hell time is it?"

"Fifteen minutes after five in the morning." Squalo answered, annoyed.

Xanxus' eyes mentally grew wide. What the fuck was he doing awake at such an ungodly hour of the morning?! Usually, he didn't wake up until well passed noon!

"...I would like to give it a try," Chrome's soft voice suddenly drew him back from his shock and when he turned towards her sitting demurely on the bed with him he was assaulted by the hopeful pleading in her gaze. "I really miss walking."

Fucking. Hell. "Do whatever the hell you want; I don't fucking care."

Levi's jaw fell to the floor. "B-Boss... you agreed so quickly! ARE YOU SICK?! _What did that wretched witch do to you_?!"

Xanxus cocked his gun point blank at the taller man's face. "Another word out of you and I'll feed you and your box animal to Bester."

Needless to say that Levi shut his mouth closed after that.

Belphegor chuckled and all the taller man could do was glare doom, death and damnation at the blond while Squalo rolled his eyes at them.

Lussuria, however, was jumping up and down while holding onto a smiling Chrome's hands. "YAY! Did you hear that, Chrome-chan?! The Boss said _yes_!"

"When can we start, Lussu-nee?" she asked softly.

"Would you like to do it now?"

Xanxus would rather eat shit than admit it but it pleased the hell out of him to see she was still looking to him for approval.

"I said, do whatever the fucking hell you want." he grumbled gruffly.

Lussuria clapped. "Right, Boss! Alright then..." Lussuria pulled out his Varia box and inserted Sun flames in it. Pea-chan came out with a soft caw and fluffed his tail feathers elegantly before turning to its master to wait for instructions. "Okay, Pea-chan, do your best~!"

The bird cawed merrily before turning towards Chrome who raised her nightgown to expose her injured leg and raised his tail. After a few moments bright Sun flames burst off engulfing the woman in its light from where she sat at the edge of his bed. They all watched as the female Mist Guardian's wound slowly closed until the purple bruise and the hole marring the perfection of her pale flesh disappeared from her exposed skin. As soon as it was finished, the Sun Peacock proudly let down its colorful tail and preened proudly.

"Well _done,_ Pea-chan!" Lussuria hugged the box animal lightly around the neck as both master and animal did a little dance that made everybody in the room want to twitch. "I _knew_ you could do it! Oh I'm so _proud_ of you!"

But the Varia Boss was not looking at his Sun Guardian anymore; his full attention was on the woman now standing delicately on her beautifully healed legs. Because of the side effect from Lussuria's box weapon, her hair now reached well beneath the small of her back and her nails on both feet and hands have grown over an inch long. She looked like a wild woman who had lived in the mountains all her life and had never known any sort of grooming but curiously, his heart stopped at how beautiful she was at that moment. With her eye glowing bright with relief and happiness even as she glanced at her elongated fingernails in wide eyed wonder. The dark skinned Italian's fists clenched against the temptation to have her look at _him_ like that instead of her stupid _hands_. As though reading his mind she looked up straight towards him and... _smiled._

Not just the faint, barely there smiles she often spread out that disappeared so fast he sometimes thought he had just imagined them. No this smile was wide and filled with pure joy and gratitude. It was even reflected in her goddamned _gaze._ Her violet eye brightened a shade and fucking _glistened._ Xanxus clenched his jaw harder and resisted the urge to clutch his fist over his heart. No one had ever looked at him like that. _No one_. Her smile was so pure in its joy it fucking _hurt. _Her wiles were disquieting in its power and only his near infallible will made it possible for him to keep his sanity intact.

He just couldn't understand it! There she was standing and looking like a fucking hobo and she still turned him _on._ The _hell?!_

For a moment he couldn't find the words to say anything. His mind just fucking blocked out and he forgot who he was and what they were doing there. All that existed for that amount of time was her. Her and that god-awful, misbegotten smile and his equally god-awful misbegotten _need_. And it irked him that he was finally beginning to realize that there was nothing he could do about it. All he knew was that he can never go back.

She beamed the smile at everyone around the room stopping all the officers in there in their tracks. "Thank you, everyone."

Thankfully, a slightly blushing Squalo cleared his throat and broke the spell she held over them with his brusque, booming voice. "Yeah, well, don't get fucking used to it, woman. The next time you decide to act so goddamned recklessly you're on your own!"

She nodded but her smile was still there. "I understand, Commander Squalo."

"You better," Xanxus finally managed to growl out, gathering enough self control during Squalo's distraction. "I've got no time fucking dragging you around like a goddamned sack of potatoes."

She blushed but smiled shyly. "Thank you very much for all your help, Xanxus-sama."

Xanxus scowled and looked away, his jaw clenched. She was so beautiful she blinded him. It was impossible to stare at her without wanting more than just look. And it all happened so damned subtly that it left him confused as to when it all started. All he knew was that, if he bothered to track its origins all roads would lead back to her. Back to this woman. This woman with the broken smile.

"Ushishishi," Belphegor siddled up to her happily. "Now that you can walk again, that means that you don't have to sleep in the Boss' rooms, mi piccola duchessa."

Her face turned red and she glanced back at the Varia Boss apologetically. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"You better," Levi glared at her malevolently. "You made the Boss suffer!"

"Ignore the dumb peasant, my dear; he would never understand what it means to be of royal blood even if his brain bleeds out."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, BEL?!"

The blond ignored the older man. "No worries; you can sleep in my room, mi piccolo duchessa."

Squalo snorted. "Where? You can barely find your bed under all that crap you keep in your fucking room."

Belphegor whined. "I _need_ all those things, Commander."

"Your room is a fucking fire hazard, that's what it is. It's a good thing you're not an arsonist on top of being a knife obsessed freak or we'd have all been turned out in the streets!"

"Ushishishi... No one understands me." Bel shrugged with a grin.

"Oh _I_ understand you, Bel~" Lussuria cooed at him.

The Prince sweatdropped. "...Alright, maybe I _should_ lose a few things."

Lussuria blinked behind his tinted glasses and pouted.

"Whatever; bottom line is, Dokuro can't stay in your fucking room!" Squalo growled. "She can stay in Mammon's room while she's here."

"What do you think, Chrome-chan~?"

Everybody turned back to the woman but saw she was already walking slowly towards her knapsack sitting in a corner of the room. Xanxus never once turned his eyes away from her and already knew her mind was as far away from his shitty subordinate's stupid argument as it could get. He envied her for it.

"It can wait," she said even as she pulled out her watch from inside the bag, quite intent on her actions. "There are other things I need to attend to at the moment. Bel-san; can you give me a name?"

The blond Ripper smirked as he indulged her question. "Paolo DelaTorre."

"Who?" Levi scowled, his thoughts running a mile a minute.

"The Minister of Infrastructures…?" Chrome's eyes widened before she managed to collect herself again. "Thanks, Bel-san."

"Ushishishi anytime, mi piccola duchessa." The blond answered with a courtly bow which earned him poisonous looks from Squalo and Levi.

"Computer," they all heard Chrome say all of a sudden and immediately, the holographic monitor appeared before her. "Speed dial five."

"Affirmative." the machine generated voice responded and the monitor showed the word 'Dialing' on it for a few moments until Basil's familiar face appeared on the monitor.

"Chrome!" Basil's cheerful face was tinged with worry as he looked the woman over; as before this did not make Xanxus happy. "Lal-san told me what happened to you! We were very worried. Thous't should have informed us of thy plight!"

Chrome's gentle smile at the baby faced CEDEF agent made the scarred man scowl further. "I'm fine, Basil, I promise, thank you for your concern. By the way, can you find something for me?"

"Of course! Anything!" Xanxus couldn't help but be reminded of an eager little puppy when he looked at the blue eyed brat.

"Please find me Senator Paulo DelaTorre's itinerary for the next twenty four hours."

"Eh?" Basil stood there on the screen just staring at her for a full minute making Xanxus' brows furrow in suspicion before he spoke again. "Alright." The honey brown haired brat did some typing before he looked up at the woman again. "You're in luck; it's easy to find him today, apparently; because aside from some meetings in Venice for the whole of the morning he is supposed to meet with Sawada-dono tonight for dinner."

Chrome's eyes widened all of a sudden; she looked petrified, frightened even. As though someone close to her just stabbed her between the ribs with her own trident. It took a while before she managed to get herself under control before she managed to calm her face down but it was already too late; Xanxus had already noted the reaction with narrowed eyes that noted every move she made and it made him curious as hell.

"Chrome?" Basil's brows were furrowed in concern. "Are you alright?"

"Basil," crimson eyes went back to her face when Xanxus heard the hoarse and tight tone of her voice even as she spoke with deliberate slowness as though she was afraid of being misunderstood. He held his breath at the expression of fierce— almost violent— protectiveness coupled with fear on her face. He could almost hear Belphegor salivating behind him. It was the kind of expression the Ripper Prince craved on his victim's faces. "Contact Hayato-san. Tell him to cancel the Boss' appointment with the Senator."

Basil blinked at her in surprise. "Chrome? What—"

"Tell him I am declaring Senator DelaTorre under investigation; he'll know what to tell the Boss."

"But—"

"_Please_, Basil," her plea was reflected in her whisper and her gaze. Xanxus thought even _he_ would have been hard pressed to deny her anything if she ever looked at him like that. "You need to have Hayato-san keep the Senator _away_ from the Boss."

"…Chrome, is there something I should know?"

"Basil, this is not the time for—"

"Chrome-dono," Basil's face had become completely somber now and judging from the way the woman flinched, being addressed in such a way by the blue eyed brat meant nothing good. "I understand that you are only asking information from us because you want us to be kept updated on your actions; I know all about the orders from Iemitsu-sama to keep track on all of your movements since you left headquarters and to tell him if you ever go back there again. I don't mind not reporting every single thing you do but please remember that asking things from us would also mean you intend to collaborate with CEDEF. If there is anything you know that would be endangering the Family Boss then we should know about this as well. If you take some then you should also be prepared to give some away."

The scarred Varia Boss' interest rose as well as his brows. So Iemitsu keeps an eye on her to keep her _away_? What the fuck was going on here? Xanxus knew the CEDEF leader was a sly old fox with enough cunning to keep him in the top position of Vongola's External Advisory team for a long time and so when he did something out of the ordinary and with such top notch secrecy like this it usually involved something big. He was even more curious than ever now to find out how Dokuro was involved in whatever it was that was keeping the top brass of Vongola's panties in a twist.

He wasn't the only one who noted this strange reaction from Basil. Xanxus didn't have to look back at his officers to see how Squalo and Bel both narrowed their eyes at the conversation before them, intent and attentive.

Chrome looked down guiltily for a moment and that expression on her face made Xanxus itch to make it go away. So before he got the chance to even think about it, he stepped in behind her, making Basil aware of his presence much to the younger man's surprise.

"Scum," the Varia Boss began, looking down at Basil's image from the top of his nose menacingly and ignoring the surprised look he gained from her. "Whatever the fuck she knows came through Varia's intel which means you can goddamn well wait for the information until I _allow_ her to fucking give it. If you've got a problem with that then you can go suck the protocols for information sharing among the Vongola alliance out of Iemitsu's rotten, blond dick. In the meantime, since I'm _allowing_ her to at _least_ warn off that useless pansycock of a Boss of yours to get the _hell_ out of my way, I suggest you do what she fucking says or I will come over there and tear a new hole in your ass so wide you'd be shitting your guts out of it, you got that?"

Basil stared out at him wide eyed and pale at the threat and the menace the Varia Boss presented from the other side of the screen for a few more heartbeats before swallowing and composing himself again enough to look the crimson eyed man straight in the eye once more and speaking with admirable dignity. "As deputy chief of CEDEF I am entitled to all information pertaining the Vongola and all her alliances. But you are right, Xanxus, I was a step out of line. As external advisors we hand out information for the Family as they need it and are given information as well to distribute the intel to the other members of the alliance. However I forgot about protocol and forgot that Chrome-dono is currently under the Varia for now and that any intel she has is now controlled by you."

"Damn right I do." Xanxus growled at the runt quietly.

"Voi, look, brat, it's not that we're trying to withhold information from you," Squalo snarled from behind Xanxus and the female Mist Guardian. "We just want to get some answers of our own first before we pass this shit around."

Allowing an awkward smile to bloom on his face Basil faced Chrome again and nodded solemnly. "Very well. Please take care of thoust self, Chrome-dono."

The female Mist Guardian's answering smile was cool but not unkind. "Thank you very much; and I'm sorry."

"If thou needest anything else, all thoust needst is call." Basil nodded solemnly towards her then, concern still in his eyes. "I will be looking forward to your report."

And then he signed off.

The holographic monitor disappeared in front of them with a flick of her wrist and she immediately looked up at him. "I will need to leave immediately, Xanxus-sama."

Xanxus didn't really need to put two and two together to figure out what the hell was thinking but he felt he needed to ask anyway. "And just where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I would like to… question Sen. DelaTorre myself." She admitted without missing a beat.

She was a woman on a mission, there was no doubt about it.

The indifference on her face was back. The warmth of her smile, the gentleness of her kindness, the prongs of her understanding and even the fear on her face from earlier were now all gone, disappearing behind that fucking doll's expression that made him want to shake her and drop the act altogether and just make her give him some raw fucking _emotion_. He wondered what it would take for her to lose control like that.

He wanted to be there and watch when she did.

"Fine then," Xanxus finally spoke; he allowed her to turn around to start to grab her knapsack only to stop when he continued to speak again. "I'll meet you on the roof; we're taking the chopper."

Her eye widened and she looked up at him in surprise.

"BOSS!" Levi immediately protested. "You can't be serious!"

"VOI, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING, YOU DAMNED BOSS?!" Squalo started shrieking, a vein popping all over his head.

Belphegor frowned while Lussuria remained silent albeit the raised brows over his glasses.

"Take care of the base while I'm out, shitty Shark," Xanxus just threw at his second in command carelessly, his eyes glittering as he watched Dokuro gape at him in disbelief. "The place better be in one piece when I get back."

"Boss, you can't—" Levi was cut off at the murderous glare the Varia Boss shot him; it was as piercing as a bullet and it made the rest of is officers refrain from voicing out their opinions.

"I'm sorry, Xanxus-sama, but I agree with Captain Levi on this one," Chrome finally found her voice and met his eyes when they shot over to her. "You are Trinidad's main target; if you go out there you might as well be setting yourself up for any trap he might be planning for you."

"That'll be fine," Was she an idiot? If he were the target then so was she or has she forgotten who that trash Trinidad was looking for the last time he was here? The thought of the shit sucking bastard getting his hands on her made his blood boil. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Xanxus-sama—"

"Woman," he glared at her dangerously, daring her to stop him further. "You tell me what I should and shouldn't do one more time and Reborn won't mean shit to me. Pack for two; we're leaving."

For a moment he watched her struggle before she finally pursed her lips, inhaled deeply, count to ten and then inhaled slowly. "Very well, Xanxus-sama."

He then turned around and walked out of the room with his other officers following him, Squalo still seething and Levi bawling like a kicked toddler. Xanxus didn't care.

He was not going to leave her side.

/*****/

Basil sighed as soon as the call was cut off.

Everything he said to Xanxus in his apology was true but it was also understood that the intel they gathered was passed around the Vongola alliance to give the current Vongola Boss infinite control of all situations should things get out of hand. In this case, if Sawada-dono wanted to stop the Varia then with the information they had at hand all the Decimo would need to do is say the word and people would be dispatched to carry out the order immediately. However, with Xanxus at the helm of Varia's leadership, Basil knew that he would never cede complete control over to the Vongola unless it was an emergency.

As Mist Guardian, Chrome is also a valued information source for their side just as Mukuro was and usually she was as free with her information as she was with her kindness. But with Chrome working for the Varia things would definitely get difficult; which would mean that he would have to gather intelligence according to the hint she left behind. He knew he could figure it out; his Master would not name him deputy chief if he did not have his own above average deductive skills. And Lal had also trained him with Chrome well in terms of social psychological mapping. He just needed to know which street his Point A was going to take to what Point B.

The honey brown haired man stepped out of his office to wade into the sea of CEDEF agents outside it all busy on their desks.

"Oregano-san?" he called over to the bespectacled woman busily typing on her desk a few feet away from his office door.

"Yes, Basil?" the Italian woman looked up from her computer, alert and somber.

"Can you look up Senator Paolo DelaTorre for me?" he asked as he walked up beside her.

"Sure," she nodded once and immediately typed in a series of commands that brought up the profile of the man they were discussing. "What am I looking for?"

"Anything that would spark the personal interest of the Varia."

"That could be any number of things." She raised her brows at him, confused.

That was true, Basil thought. But then again he was talking about Xanxus here; anything that Xanxus took on as a personal slight his officers would take on with him. And lately, if their information was correct, there seems to be only one topic that could make the angry man angrier than he already was.

"La Justicia Pasada." he said, earning a gasp from Oregano.

"Deputy Director, are you sure?" she asked still shocked. "He's an Italian _senator_! Lately he has been very close to the Decimo! How could you even think for a moment that he would be related to that group?!"

"That's what we're going to try and find out, Oregano-san. Turmeric?" Basil began to walk back towards his office. "Get me Gokudera Hayato-dono on the phone, please?"

"Yes, Deputy Director." The man replied, already reaching for the phone even as he and Oregano spared a moment to look back at each other in worry before following their orders.

It was truly going to be quite a long day for them all.

/*****/

Review….. Please?


	18. Chapter 18

**Title**: Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version

**Theme**: Scars

**Pairing**: X96

**A.N.:** Hey, Guys, I know it's been a loooooooooooooong while and some of you may be pissed at me right but I've really got a LOT going on right now. I want to reply to your review so much it hurts but I can barely post this chapter as it is. So my friends when I get enough time to properly sit down and write this thing without me being threatened to be fired because I was caught writing this at work then I shall return to responding to your reviews. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING THIS FIC; YOU GUYS KEEP ME GOING!

**To Indyctator:** You must be really angry at me and I can't blame you; I'll explain as soon as I can pull things back together enough to send you a PM. Till then just so you know I really miss chatting with you, dear and I look forward to hearing from you again.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you recognize.

Please Enjoy! ^_^v

**Chapter 18 **

"I WANT THEM DEAD! I WANT THEM ALL DEAD!"

"Senator-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Sir, please calm down-"

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN! HOW DARE THAT DEVIL COME NEAR AND THREATEN ME?! HOW DARE HE?! I WANT THEM DEAD! I WANT ROKUDO MUKURO AND XANXUS _DEAD_!"

Pasha Isayev is La Justicia Pasada's corps commander and Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad's second in command.

He had been following the senator since the formation of La Justicia Pasada three years ago and his motivation— the brutal murder of his pregnant wife who merely had the bad luck of witnessing the cruel disposal of a man's dead body by the local Russian mafia and had the temerity to tell the authorities about it— had been a great motivator. He will never forget the sight of her headless body; her body which was already six months pregnant with their first child which had been found dumped in a shallow grave three months after she disappeared from their home; dragged right in front of him and taken away as he was held down by those criminals, tied in a chair and all he could was cry while she called out his name. It made him ruthless, merciless and determined to end everything that had a connection to the Mafia ever since.

He wasn't the only one, though; every single man in the organization had suffered a tragic past that involved the Mafia one way or the other.

Take Luisito, for example. One of the three armed men guarding the doors of the senator's suite that night.

Luisito father had to borrow money from the mafia in order to get his sick mother treated for tuberculosis. When his father couldn't pay and even had the cheek to try to escape the debt by trying to get his family out of the country, the mafia made him and his father watch as they shot his mother in the head right in front of him.

Their cook, Chuan, lost all the fingers and left leg when he tried to get out of the Triad and turned informer for the police. He was lucky to have escaped with his life at all.

Another good example was Raafat. True, the Iranian terrorists didn't call themselves Mafia but they might as well be. When they decided they wanted his family home in Kermanshah to make drugs in and store their smuggled weapons. When he refused to sell... well it was easier to say that Raafat was alone in the world now and La Justicia Pasada was all he had. Still the things he would scream in his sleep at night made his roommates seek other places to spend the night in. It sounded as though the man had witnessed Hell.

Some of the men in their employ were so old there were that a few of them claimed they have even encountered and had seen the former Varia Boss Tyr execute jobs on the orders of Nono himself. They were the ones who would usually caution them to be careful whenever encountering the dreaded assassination squad and also the ones who wanted to see the group's existence end.

Yes, every one of them knew of the pain of loss.

When Pasha was approached by recruiters intending to form the vigilante group he was more than willing to give up on being a mere electric store owner and throw himself into the rigorous training and planning to take down the Mafia's strongest with a will that could have moved mountains. He had no difficulty securing the position of team leader. When his group was ready and shipped out from the training camps he was then introduced to the man who was said to have had started the entire group and back then, with his wit, charm and own personal history, Trinidad won over the entire group without a problem, including himself. He had never seen the Senator lose control.

Until now.

Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad was angry.

No, anger would have been a grand understatement to the wild eyed fury emanating from him as he screamed at the carnage he had wrought over his own property. The moment they walked in from the party last night where the senator was approached by Rokudo Mukuro, the man seemed to have lost his mind. Pasha had trained long enough and gained enough experience during training to recognize fear. If one wanted to kill hitmen, one must also become a hitman, after all. Trinidad was oozing copious amounts of it in disturbing ways.

Cornelio's mouth was frothing; his eyes were rolling and wild and his office was filled with broken things and overturned furniture. The only thing that survived was his heavy cedar desk it would have taken three people to move the antique and even in his frenzied madness the Spanish Senator was unable to vent his anger onto it.

Fury would have been much more appropriate but the fear behind that fury and the shame that went hand in hand with it contribute to the hazy madness of his near golden eyes. His gritted teeth every time he spoke made him look more like devil than saint which was how he looked like in public.

If the public were to look at his countenance now, he would never be able to see another election.

For the first time since joining La Justicia Pasada Pasha wondered if he took the right path to achieve justice for his wife and unborn child. Looking at the senator at that moment, the former shop owner turned vigilante thought

Trinidad looked worse than any other Mafioso they had ever encountered.

"PASHA!"

The second in command snapped to attention; his back straight and cold blue eyes staring straight ahead although it was an effort to keep his face neutral. "Sir!"

"Get me our prisoners!"

Pasha blinked and stared at the senator in confusion. "Sir?"

"You heard me," the Spaniard with a maniacal grin that made Pasha's very skin crawl. "It's time we sent a clear message to those heathens."

Pasha was troubled now. The prisoners they have been given were supposed to be kept out of the public eye and out of the mafia eye as long as possible until every piece of information had been leaked out of them. Also, studying their flames was important for the development of the Dying Will Flame Dowser. Test subjects with flame attributes were hard to come by, after all.

"But, sir is that really alright?" Pasha tried to reason with the senator who seemed to have settled in a deadly calm now that his violent tantrum had been satisfied. "We have our orders to have them stay incarcerated—"

"I CREATED THIS ORGANIZATION! I GET TO DECIDE WHO LIVES OR DIES! NOW GET GOING! AND MAKE SURE SOMEONE SETS UP A CAMERA FOR ME!"

Pasha Isayev is La Justicia Pasada's corps commander and Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad's second in command. And during his sojourn as a vigilante, fuelled by his desire to avenge his wife, he had developed a keen sense of perception as to what was to come after a command was given. And he had a feeling this will not end well. But he had his orders and it would behoove him not to obey them. Not if it involved what he had wanted the most.

Justice.

"Yes, sir."

/*****/

Everyone in the Varia had their own quirks inside and outside missions that normal people would have been ashamed of. In fact, each of those quirks got a telling off whenever possible especially from Squalo whose main quirk was to effortlessly shout down an entire town and his tendency to use up an entire bottle of conditioner in a single bath. In Squalo's mind this was justified, of course. It took that much to remove the scent and stain of blood out of his hair.

Levi and Lussuria's quirks were already obvious. In the Varia, necrophilia and obsessive stalking can still be counted as quirky.

In the end, though, these quirks were accepted and merely received a collective eye roll from their fellow officers and total indifference from their Boss. Xanxus was too lazy to care about those kinds of senseless idiosyncrasies. The Varia philosophy on this was that as long as it does not interfere with the missions then it was fine to indulge in as many quirks as one wanted.

Now Belphegor was the King of Quirky around the fortress. The self-proclaimed prince seemed to take pride in all his vices with a complete and total disregard for anyone else's opinion, much to everyone else's annoyance.

One of Belphegor's main quirks was to be as lazy as possible especially when he just came from a mission. The self-declared prince would either fall asleep all day or annoy anyone and everyone in sight until they break or try to put him in the ground which, of course, would lead to a veritable bloodbath. It is also a known quirk of 'Prince Belphegor' to use someone else's personal belongings. It was not as though he did not have what others had but when the blonde got something in his head that needed a certain tool he would merely take the nearest one available instead of going all the way over to his room and using his own things. His favorite being Squalo's computer whenever he did his browsing and social networking since, for some reason, the urge would strike whenever he walked by the silver haired swordsman's empty office. Since the Varia Rain Guardian had much to do and Belphegor tended to get in the way, this had led to a lot of mauling and broken bones in the past. So imagine Squalo's ire when he saw the blonde assassin crouched in front of his laptop in his office using his goddamned internet.

On any other day he would probably just think about threatening to flay the younger man before kicking the chuckling demon out of his chair but after dealing with a wailing Levi for a good hour and a half because he was not allowed to accompany Xanxus on his trip to Venice with Dokuro, Squalo was irritable enough to literally make the threat come true.

"VOOOOIIIIIII!" the silver haired swordsman stormed into his office. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING ON MY COMPUTER, TRASHY PRINCE?! I ALREADY TOLD YOU TO USE YOUR OWN GODDAMNED LAPTOP! DIDN'T YOU JUST BUY A FUCKING MAC?!"

"Ushishishi~" Belphegor promptly ignored the screaming Varia Strategy Commander in favour of continuing his typing. "Hush, peasant; the Prince is doing research."

"THEN WHY THE FUCK DON'T YOU USE YOUR _OWN_ COMPUTER INSTEAD OF _MINE_, DIPSHIT?!" Squalo yelled, a vein popping in his temple, his sword flashing in the air. "I SWEAR IF YOU DELETE A _SINGLE_ FILE ON THAT COMPUTER YOU'RE _DONE_ FOR, DO YOU HEAR ME, SCUMBUCKET?! WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU YOU'LL BE SHOPPING ONLINE FOR A NEW _DICK_!"

"You're so noisy, Commander," the Varia Storm Guardian chuckled light heartedly even as he continued with his self-proclaimed mission. "Threatening me like that even though I went through all the trouble to help you out~."

Squalo frowned in confusion then scowled; his curiosity sparking despite himself and he proceeded to get behind Bel to see what he was doing on his desktop. "Voi, just what the hell does that mean?"

"Ushishishi~," Bel threw him a sly grin from over his shoulder. "The Boss wanted you to do something for him, didn't he?"

For a moment, Squalo raised a brow at this question before realization lit his face and he started paying more attention to the screen in front of the blonde almost pushing Belphegor off the chair he was slouching on. "VOI! Are you saying you found something on Dokuro?!"

Bel laughed out loud even though he had to hold on to the edge of the desk to keep his balance, entertained by the wide eyed, eager expression on his Strategy Commander's face. Although his reasons for digging into Chrome Dokuro's past was entirely self-serving it pleased him to be able to rub his brilliance in Squalo's face. "Did you really think I would just disappear that long on a mission to kill some useless piece of filth? The Prince has more important things to interest him than some lowly plebeian."

Yeah, Squalo remembered Dokuro greeting Bel about something like that.

"Shut the hell up and tell me what you found about her, Asshat," the Varia Rain Guardian snapped at the younger man. "Do you know why she was sent away from the Vongola Main headquarters?"

"Sadly no; every time the Prince mentions that to anybody they act like it's news to them and that nobody really cares," Bel shook his head but retained his grin and pushed a button on the computer to show Squalo a page off the CEDEF intranet server he had been hacking into. "But the Prince did find what she's been up to these past few years."

From the computer, the blond 'Prince' pulled up a page with Dokuro's face on it. The picture on her profile showed her from the head down to her waist wearing a charcoal gray three piece suit and a white shirt underneath. Her eye patch was almost hidden under her purple bangs and she wore a solemn, neutral expression on her face. Beside it were her general information and below it were her activities under CEDEF.

Squalo's eyes widened in increments as the words on the page registered in his mind. "Codename: Nakayama Nagi? Wait, isn't that her real name?"

"Nakayama Nagi has been declared officially dead for the past nine years. She's Chrome Dokuro now," Belphegor replied smugly. "The Prince likes her creativity. To use her former name as her codename has an artful touch of irony, don't you think~?"

Belphegor pulled out another page on the computer to show an old article about the famous actress Nakayama Satomi and her second husband announcing her grief for the loss of her daughter in a vicious car accident… and to advertise her latest film back then hinting that the script was based on a mother who had to struggle because of the loss of her child.

Squalo sneered at the picture of the beautiful Japanese woman who had a passing resemblance to Chrome. "Bet it sucked."

"Ironically enough it was one of her biggest hits," Belphegor smirked broadly at the irony. "The woman _could_ act."

Squalo grimaced in distaste at the woman in picture. "Tch, I'll see her in hell in pieces; open the goddamned file already."

With a push and click of a mouse, the blonde Varia Guardian opened up several windows detailing someone's dossier. Or, to be more specific, _Nakayama Nagi's _dossier.

"Fuck." Was all Squalo could say as his eyes ran through the words steadily appearing on the computer screen. "Wait a minute... This is different from the dossier I gathered from the Vongola servers!"

"Shishishi~ So you noticed," Belphegor ran a finger down the monitor and pushed a pair of keys that pulled up another window; another dossier that had the Vongola coat of arms on it. As Squalo said the contents of Chrome Dokuro's profile in the Vongola intranet site was vastly different from the ones on the CEDEF ones. For one thing, she did not need a codename under Vongola. For the other, the list of her activities here were fairly short and vague. "All she has been assigned to were diplomatic missions for the Vongola. Quite a big difference from the missions she does for CEDEF, si?"

"I'll say," Squalo shook his head in a mix of awe and disbelief. "And of course nobody else knows since CEDEF files come highly encrypted. Mother fucking dog humpers..."

"The Prince has tried to gather intel on her while he was out ~ She gave my great self a set of contacts that the Prince also tried to use to get info about her but personal knowledge on her was scarce. It was as if they either don't realize she was the Mist Guardian or they don't really care. The Prince thinks it is the former rather than the latter. You were right; it was as though she doesn't even exist. Every single file, every single rumor, every single whisper of her existence has only ever contained things from when she was twelve years old until she was thirteen right after Sawada was declared Neo Vongola Primo.

"People must have gotten bored keeping track of her since she's really not that remarkable to begin with after Rokudo Mukuro got his own body back. Can't say the Prince could blame them," Bel shrugged, as though this was a moot point. "However it seemed she has made quite a name for herself while everybody stopped looking. The Prince couldn't stop his interest since things about mi piccola duchessa just don't add up. The contacts she gave my great self when she requested the Prince look for the rat in the Italian government were top of the charts; they could not have just been picked up off whatever. And the way Lal has become her master or how she can so freely use CEDEF's assets without needing permission from Iemitsu… Sure she doesn't really need the clearance since Sawada officially recognized her as his Mist Guardian but don't you think it's odd that they seem so familiar with her?"

"…That's true." The shark grudgingly agreed.

"And the Prince would never pass up showing off how much better he is than you, Commander~."

"VOI! SHUT THE HELL UP, SHITHOLE!"

But Squalo thought about the younger man's words. Bel had a point. CEDEF— despite its ties with the Vongola— was a private organization that was free to keep its own secrets. As such, though they respond to Vongola's needs, they can choose to keep the Vongola Boss and main family ignorant if they think the information they had could be spared and will not endanger the Famiglia or if it was a personal matter within CEDEF they did not want the main Family to interfere in. If they thought about Chrome as an asset to their operation— even if it was just for a short while— then they would guard her time with them jealously. All files and records would be nigh on untouchable if they so wished. No wonder it was so damned hard to get information about her; they were looking in all the wrong places.

A link on the page he was scrolling down on caught Squalo's eye. "She worked with the Poison Scorpion too?"

"Seems like it! Oh, she's getting more and more interesting than the Prince has originally bargained for," Bel bounced on the seat at the link as well, too excited about his discoveries to keep still. "Seems she's also worked with Draghi Lancia, Foundation, Shamal, Shimon and even the Kokuyo from time to time; the list goes on… But it seems like most of the time she's on her own or with Lal Mirch. She's even worked on infiltration to spy on other Famiglia. And all this on top of the missions coming from the main Family. This is quite a record."

"Fuck." Squalo straightened and shook his head, lost in thought, his brow furrowed. What the fuck was Sawada thinking letting her loose like this and keep her away then? Was he out of his mind? With her track record she could be on someone's hit list that easily. "How the fuck is no one worried she's out here? And why were they letting her run around neglected like this? Someone with a track record like Dokuro's should have a place where she could be cloistered and secured at least until she's needed again. Sawada is not the type of idiot who would just leave her alone and unprotected especially when she is so useful! We all know how he is about females in the Famiglia! Hell, he's even protective about Lal Mirch! What the fuck is going on back there?!"

"I thought there was something strange about her from the beginning and this confirms it~," Bel shrugged before jumping out of the chair and spinning on his heel then stretching like a cat under the sun, cackling maniacally at the theories now running through his head. "CEDEF tries to protect her by keeping a tight lid on her dossier but their firewall and security level was no match for the Prince."

"How long did this take you to crack, exactly?"

The grin ripped through Belphegor's face even wider at the question telling Squalo immediately that he had just irritated the self-proclaimed Prince. "About an hour."

And for someone who had Belphegor's I.Q. that was saying something indeed.

Squalo sat down in front of the computer, ignoring Belphegor's little speech about his accomplishments and greatness— all a cover of course in an odd attempt to save face— and continued reading all he could about Chrome Dokuro like a thirsty man given a chance to drink his fill of cold water. He supposed he couldn't really blame Bel for being as curious as he was about the female Mist Guardian, Lord knew all of them were. It was surprising that the apathetic prince actually cared enough to lift a finger to seek more information about their current female resident, though. It spoke volumes of the influence Dokuro had on the troublesome blonde.

As the Varia second in command read through the pilfered information he arrived at the same conclusion he knew Bel had already arrived at. Chrome Dokuro was a dangerous person underneath all the vulnerable looks. Her lack of muscle and violent tendencies did not make her less of a hitman. In fact, her unassuming looks and presence allowed her to do her job flawlessly even before she officially assumed the role of Mist Guardian. If what he was reading was correct then CEDEF has groomed her into a perfect 'bullet' who will support the Vongola Decimo in every way he needed to be supported. Like the Varia only the Varia was groomed by the Vongola Boss.

So why were people taking pains to keep her away from the person they had groomed her to protect? What was he missing here?

He was about to click a link to view the rest of her dossier when something shocking caught his eye. It was so small and so unexpected that Squalo almost missed it.

It was the mark of a Black Star beside her profile picture.

Dokuro committed a crime against the Famiglia.

Squalo clicked on to the black star mark, his heart beating a mile a minute in his anticipation...

A small box asking for a password was the reply he received.

"Hey, Bel, pull this record up for me, will 'ya?" Squalo demanded, his voice commanding and brooked no disobedience.

The blonde Storm Guardian stopped his monologue about his greatness and turned to the shark, raised a brow at the tone but curiosity prevented him from talking back. And when he saw the link Squalo wanted he got to work immediately. They both knew of that link all too well. It was a mark that was only reserved for family members who have committed betrayals against the Vongola or their allied Famiglia. Both of them knew it all too well since the same mark could be found on their own files also kept under CEDEF's records because of the Crib Incident.

Both Varia officers raised their brows when, half an hour later, they finally pulled up a file that hinted at Chrome Dokuro's crime record. They were met by only two words.

_File Deleted. _

/*****/

"We'll be arriving in less than ten minutes, Boss."

Chrome opened her eyes, disturbed by the pilot's announcement and was met by the beautiful Venetian sky. She didn't even realize she was dreaming until her longing heart conjured _his_ voice calling out her name. Her now open eyes observed the beautiful sea that would have made Kyoko and Haru squeal in excitement but she saw nothing but the emptiness, the hollowness of her own heart.

It didn't matter; nothing mattered.

All Chrome could see— all she could think about was that kind, kind smile. All she could hear were those kind, kind words. All she could feel was that voice passing over her skin and she had to force herself still to keep her shivering from being vsible from anyone else… The feelings the memories invoked were so strong that it was all she could do to keep the tears from falling.

Her heart ached.

The memories hurt too much.

She should stop remembering or she would forever be trapped by her own sorrow. These feelings would make her weak because it would make her lose control of her own perception. As an illusionist such a thing would be synonymous to death. Chrome Dokuro did not want to die. Especially when she had so much to live for. So she kept a tight lid on the pain in her heart.

Forcing her eyes open she saw that Venice was already in sight and every minute she spent waiting to arrive in the supposedly majestic city filled her with a growing restlessness that she thought would drive her mad.

She did not see that city as a place of romance or beauty or a hub of culture like what the tourist catalogues advertised. She didn't care if it was one of the top places that honeymooners liked to visit after they get married to get away from family and friends and just enjoy each other. All she knew was that in this city was the threat to all that kindness, all that warmth and the source of all her joy.

That city right now sheltered Paolo Dela Torre.

The thundering sound of the helicopter engine was a mere hum in her ear; anything and everything around her was a blur since it left the Varia fortress. She was filled with an all-consuming fear and anger at the thought of how close that man was to HIM. So close that he would be able to put a knife between HIS shoulder blades. So near that he could touch HIS skin and corrupt the Sky she held so dear.

Chrome blinked back the tears trying to peek out of her lids furiously and held tightly to the viola case where she now stored her trident nowadays whenever she was out on a mission. It was barely noticeable but if one bothered to touch her at that moment they would be able to feel the fine trembling beneath her skin.

She will not allow it.

She refused to even think about it.

NO ONE will harm him. Not until she still had breath in her body.

Just the thought of HIM hurting or dead made an invisible fist clench over her heart and squeeze it tight until she didn't think she could breathe anymore. It hurt too much to breathe and she almost wished she could stop...

It reminded her of those times when she lost her internal organs. When she was standing on the edge of life and death…

"We're here, Boss."

The female Mist Guardian started at the pilot's much louder announcement and the haze of her worry cleared to allow her to finally see where she was.

Chrome could count the number of times he had ever bothered visiting the Venice chapter of the Vongola on one hand and still have three more available fingers left. Not that she had never been to Venice before, she just came here to meet with Lal; this was also the place where her old teacher and her were ambushed not too long ago but she merely contacted the Vongola base in this city for the sole purpose of notifying she was coming and making sure none of them got in her way. Besides she had never had cause to use any of their main resources and the Famiglia that manages the Venice headquarters mostly handle commercial matters anyway. Her missions required the utmost secrecy and she needed the anonymity to keep her missions successful. As far as she knew she had never been offered any assistance from their end either even though they knew she was in the city. It never really mattered since she was used to working alone by now.

The Vongola base in Venice took on the form of a large private island sitting off the main cluster that made up the city itself giving it enough privacy from the general populace and enough access to the main city itself that travelling would not be inconvenient for the staff to supply the island with its basic needs. On it, behind tall, warm, white and sienna colored walls was the palatial mansion that housed the managers of the estate and the various businesses of the Vongola in this part of Italy.

All around the island, surrounding those walls was a thick dense forest probably riddled with the best security money had to offer. The docks on the front of the island had speedboats and yachts littered around them and she would bet her trident that there were hidden ones in man-made alcoves resting at the back of the island as well.

Hayato once mentioned no one was really sure how the Vongola Quinto managed to acquire this piece of land from the Italian government but since his time the place had been Vongola territory.

As the helicopter drew closer she noticed that the top of the mansion at the center of the island was already crawling with men in black suits; some even wearing a pair of tinted glasses. She knew just what they are with a look; she had been in the Family long enough to tell one from the common civilian or copycat.

Mafia.

The female Mist Guardian looked up again to inform the sleeping Varia Boss slumped across from her that they have arrived.

He had his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest since the ride began. It was as if he had no care in the world and knew she didn't have to tell him where they were. If she were with anyone else Chrome would think that she was being ignored but this was Xanxus, after all and she envied him his calm. She wanted to leave him alone and be on her way and she felt a little bit of resentment that he insisted on coming with her. Quickly on the heels of that thought was shame. Xanxus must feel obligated to watch over her because of Reborn's warning. The Arcobaleno's wrath was legendary and something even Mukuro-sama and the Boss feared. It was not to be taken lightly.

No one has said anything to her and no one seems to have noticed so Chrome thought she had managed to act properly after she found out that the Boss was going to be meeting with a suspected spy or assassin so she maintained her neutral façade… but inside she could barely contain herself. If anything happened to him…

No, she shook her head, tightening her resolve and crushing the anxiety in her heart.

She was a Guardian no matter what anyone said; her duty was to protect him. She would give all for him. Like Hayato once said everything and everyone must come second to the Vongola Decimo.

As soon as the chopper landed Xanxus and her were met by the long line of men she had seen assembling earlier, each sporting hardened expressions that could have competed and belonged to the Varia's elite special squad itself. It was obvious in the way they projected themselves that they held the Varia Boss in high regard.

Said Varia Boss opened his eyes and wine colored eyes of boredom peered at the assembled men even as the chopper completed its descent.

If Chrome wasn't so worried and antsy she would have smiled a little. For all the build up about Xanxus being a complicated man she was surprised at how easy he was to read most of the time. She had been around the Varia Boss so closely during her recovery that she could now catch the alertness behind the bored expression on his face. How his eyes darted around for the slightest hint of a threat or the whisper thread visibility of a lie. Either way he was not a man who would be easily taken by surprise. May God have mercy on the man who dares to even try such a feat.

"Welcome, Boss Xanxus!" a rather large man who looked like he might have once been welcome in a pro wrestling ring stepped out of the head of the line to meet the scarred Italian don with utmost and solemn respect. "We of the Venice Branch are so happy to finally have you visit us again; it has been too long! Do you remember me? I am Gennaro Sulis, boss of the Sulis family and we manage the operations here in Venice. Please make yourself at home."

Xanxus did not speak, just stepped out of the chopper, still showing off his disinterest as he took a cursory glance at the adoring and awed faces of the men around him; blithely taking was due to him by right of strength and Mafia law. It was just as well. If they care about Xanxus this much then she would have no problem leaving him in their care for a bit while she did what she came here to do.

Chrome set her face in a neutral expression that made her look vulnerable and was starting to prepare to follow him but was stopped in the middle of getting off the chopper by a dark, roughly calloused hand blocking her way; it was palm up in a gesture of an offering. She was even more surprised when she looked up and found that the hand belonged to Xanxus.

Chrome blinked for a moment, not completely understanding what he wanted for a second before comprehension hit her like a brick to the head.

The Xanxus of the Vongola elite assassination squad Varia was offering her assistance like a gentleman.

Chrome squinted up at the sky for a moment. She wanted to see if the sky was about to fall down. Somewhere, somehow she was pretty sure there were pigs flying. She was sure Hayato-san would love to take pictures of that. It would go well with his theory that those animals were brought to earth by an ancient alien civilization to provide the human race with sustenance and the Vongola Storm Guardian probably wouldn't be surprised if they knew how to fly either.

"What the fuck are you waiting for, woman?" Xanxus growled at her, irritated. It was then that Chrome realized that she had started daydreaming because of her incredulity of the situation. "Take my goddamned hand already."

The female Mist Guardian blinked one more time, hesitating. Was this a trick or just a display of power? What game was he playing with these people that he needed her participation? He should know by now that she preferred to be overlooked by others.

Deciding she would take part in the role he wanted of her she beat back her insecurities with a stick of courage before reaching out to place her much smaller, softer hand in his rougher one. She couldn't help but marvel at how such a large hand seemed to engulf hers completely. It was a hand that could grasp the world. Wrap it in his hands and crush it like a paper cup. His warmth felt like some sort of delicious fire; it was all she could do to keep herself from pulling back for fear of being consumed by his wild heat and shivering from the sensations his skin was sending her senses. Her heart beat a little faster as well. She wondered at that. Surely it was not fear; she did not fear Xanxus. Perhaps it was anxiety? Nervousness? Uncertainty? Funny she had thought she had already outgrown such behavior. She blushed in confusion at the thought.

As soon as she was off the chopper and balanced on her feet she pulled her hand back from his. She felt his displeasure which confused her but she pretended not to see. He didn't say anymore though and just turned on his heel to walk away.

Gennaro gave her a cursory glance, his cold eyes lingering on the ring on her finger that declared who she was and followed the Varia Boss, pointedly ignoring her from that point on.

Chrome sighed in relief before following behind, grateful that she did not incur his wrath. She could not let Xanxus see how bothered she was by just his touch; he would be angry. He was hard enough to manage when he was displeased.

Gennaro started rushing after the scarred Italian even as the Varia Boss walked towards the stairs that would take him and the rest of them to the suites down below and inside the mansion. Chrome followed after them like a faithful wraith. She could feel several curious glances being thrown her way; they were probably mystified that Xanxus was with anything female. It didn't seem like they knew her at all and if they did, they were doing a great job trying to ignore her existence.

"Captain Levi A Than called us earlier to tell us you were coming," Gennaro babbled excitedly as they continued to walk, oblivious to the Varia Boss' silence. "I had the liberty of preparing the best suite in the mansion for you, Boss!"

"Hn." Was all Xanxus' response to the information.

Chrome was actually amused. Trust Levi to never take Xanxus' comfort for granted. She remembered the last time they spoke and couldn't help but feel a little fondness for the man. He may be an overeager assassin over-obsessed with his Boss but his feelings were genuine. She wished Xanxus allowed him to come so she wouldn't have had to worry about Xanxus' safety. But when the whining and the wailing from the Varia Lightning Guardian wouldn't stop, the Varia Boss shot the older man so close to his scalp his afro almost burned off. The poor man was going to have to cut his hair if he wanted it to look even again but somehow she doubted Levi will do that. The man wore the bruises he got from Xanxus like they were medals. She supposed they were to an extent. Not many could claim they took an attack from Xanxus and came out of it alive.

Her mind went to the last conversation they had and she smiled a little at it. Of all the members of the Varia she could probably relate to Levi the most. To a degree that was quite frightening really. Over zealous and messed up he was but he was one who would never betray Xanxus.

"We're here!" Gennaro eagerly opened a pair of white double doors with golden lining and presented an exquisite room located on the mansion's fourth floor.

Chrome gave it a cursory look as she followed them inside but it was clear the place was designed for comfort and luxury to the fullest. The kind elite magazines published and could only be afforded by royalty, the ridiculously rich or exceptionally powerful. The kind of room that was presented to so and so movie star or so and so Prince or Princess of so and so country.

The carpets were lush, the couches even more so, the drapes were softer than any towel she had even used all themed in champagne and white with a little touch of the darkest of reds on the sides. The fireplace was decorated with warm, sienna tinted stone and was ready to be lit at any time to warm the room. She glimpsed only one bedroom off the right side of the sitting area where the tour began and the bed inside was big enough to fit three of Xanxus in it.

The female Mist Guardian allowed her flames to discreetly crawl around the room to search for any listening bugs and was pleased to find none. Of course that did not satisfy her. Her master was none other than Lal Mirch of the Trinisette. Depending on one's flame was foolish. So she paced around the room discreetly, her steps muffled by the thick carpet even as Xanxus took his seat on the large champagne and white colored chair close to the fireplace, ignoring the adoring babbling from Gennaro as he cooed over Xanxus, determined to please him while the Varia Boss pretended not to notice the coddling.

"Boss, why don't you have a glass of brandy; we were saving this until you came to visit."

"Hn."

Taking his reply as assent, the large man poured the golden liquid in the glass beside a bucket of ice already starting to fill with water. Chrome made a point to observe that covertly; it wouldn't do to have Xanxus poisoned. Her experience with missions accompanied by Bianchi had told her a lot about poison and how they can be administered in various different ways. The indigo haired woman was relieved when Gennaro did not attempt to poison the Varia Boss.

She was in the process of inspecting the tall windows that led out to the balcony where there was a great view of the Bridge of Sighs; she stopped when she saw it. From where they were the view was a bit limited but she was sure the view of the city at night would have been breathtaking.

Shaking off her admiration, she looked up and her training again took over. She noticed that, although they were inside a veritable fortress there was still one problem. All of the rooms here had accessible windows. Windows that were far too wide for her comfort. She guessed Venetian opulence had a price.

"If there is anything else that you want, Boss, anything at all, just say it and I will make it a priority." Gennaro kept going even as he backed away to the door still ignored by a closed eyed Xanxus.

Chrome followed, oblivious of the half open wine red eyes watching her every move.

"Excuse me, Signore Gennaro," she began in perfect Italian as she stood just a little inside of the double door's threshold. All the men waiting outside and the Sulis Boss himself stopped to look back at her. "Can I ask you a few questions?"

The respectful and reverent attitude the man had presented Xanxus earlier fell way when he met her gaze, scowling in a way that would have made grown men prefer to be far, far away from the mountain of a man. But Chrome Dokuro shared thoughts and memories with Rokudo Mukuro and had been in the Vongola since the moment of her rebirth from the solitude of her old life. Such men did not scare her. She had long since learned that there were things that were far more fearful than scarred, scary faces.

"If you're looking for your own sleeping arrangements I can have one of the maids take you to the servants' lounge." He told her in an icy, gruff voice.

Whatever respect or love he had for Xanxus, it was obvious he was not feeling it for her. Chrome had long known you can't always get your way especially with the kind of personality she had so she allowed this to pass. Like most of the Decimo's Famiglia, she was not one to pull rank. Besides this many members of the Famiglia disapproved of her as Mist Guardian, preferring the blinding power of Rokudo Mukuro to her meek persona. She never complained.

"Thank you," her voice was still soft, cultured and calm as she nodded her thanks. "But that was not what I was going to ask you."

"Well then, get on with it; I'm a busy man, what do you want?" he asked her impatiently.

Chrome ignored his tone. Of course she did not matter, she was only the Mist; Xanxus was a Sky. Everything revolved around him just like everything revolved around her own Boss. "I just wanted to know if the glasses of all the windows of this suite are bulletproof. I just wanted to be sure that Xanxus-sama will be safe here."

Instead of getting her answer, she was met with a puce faced Gennaro who had immediately taken offense at her question. "Are you saying that we cannot protect the Boss?"

Chrome was taken aback by the fierceness of the offense he had taken but she immediately collected herself to explain. "No, of course not. It's just that Xanxus-sama is being threatened by someone lately if you have read the reports you will be able to confirm that. I only want to help him—"

"Listen here, bambina," Gennaro growled at her, hovering over her much smaller form like a mountain over a molehill. "I don't care if you're wearing the ring that was supposed to be on Boss Mammon's finger; we here at the Venice Branch are loyal only to the Varia! Boss Xanxus should have been the one to sit on the Vongola throne and not your weak little Sawada Tsunayoshi! Flashing the Mist ring will not give you any authority over m—"

A gunshot from inside the room behind them resounded in the hall and for a moment, Chrome felt her heart stop. Without thinking twice she raced away from the large Mafioso before he or any of his subordinates could even blink to run into the luxury suite they had left Xanxus in, her trident solidifying from mid-air in a haze of indigo mist even as she moved. The female Mist Guardian was surprised to find the Varia Boss sitting casually where he originally was, an ordinary, newly fired Beretta in his hand. The gun was aimed at the closest window which now sported a goodly sized burn mark but the bullet did not go through it and the glass stayed intact. Silence occupied the room as she and Gennaro's men began to gape at the burn mark on the window in disbelief and surprise.

Xanxus' low, menacing voice pulled her out of her daze. "There was a fly."

The female Mist Guardian turned to the dark skinned Italian quickly and the sight of his quiet glare made something inside her calm down. It was ironic, unexpected even; she didn't know when it started and it disturbed her on some level that the same gaze that had terrorized millions of people like Trinidad and his followers served to give her reassurance at this moment. Nevertheless the sight of Xanxus being there made her feel so much better that she smiled slightly at him...

It didn't even matter that he merely narrowed his eyes back at her in response as though daring her to say something. Silly. Like she would ever dare.

"I'm so sorry, Boss!" Gennaro was practically on his hands and knees in apology even as the other mafioso around them started falling all over themselves to search for the insect that dared disturb the Varia Boss. "I will make sure whoever let that blasphemous insect in is punished!"

He will be safe here, Chrome decided as she watched the scene with fondness. As long as Gennaro and his subordinates regarded Xanxus as such they would not let the Varia Boss be harmed. They will act as his shields if necessary. She could trust him with them.

A slight, faint beep caught her ear and her gaze caught the green light that blinked once on her watch. Chrome's brows rose and she pushed a button on the metal bracelet that hung the watch around her wrist to see a holographic green screen appear above the watch's face showing her a message.

The content made her heart stop and her blood run so cold she almost fainted.

_Sky in Grand Canal. Stormy weather after dark. Wind blowing south to southwest. Permission to initiate contact before weather gets bad is granted. _

_- Smokin' Bomb _

As though it triggered a switch in her head all thought, all warmth, all sensation rushed out of her brain and body when the meaning of the message hit her like a bucket of ice cold water to her face. Everything around her— Xanxus, the Sulis Famiglia, even the villa itself- everything stopped existing for Chrome Dokuro. Everything faded into black and white, dark and bright as her mind automatically decoded the message in her mind. Were she as she was when she was thirteen her knees would have given out from under her in her despair.

He was here… the Sky was coming here! Hayato failed to keep him away and if he was right then the Boss and Dela Torre will meet seven to seven thirty tonight!

There was no question about her obedience to the order to intercept. She was used to never questioning orders. For her, the words from the tenth generation Storm Guardian was the trigger that would release the bullet that will set things into motion.

And that bullet was her.

In an instant everything around her stopped existing. Chrome's body moved on auto pilot; forming into a cloud of indigo Mist. She rushed through the villa and onto the docks of the island in that intangible form, finding herself a speedboat with the key left in the ignition and not caring if anybody else saw her take it. The stroke of luck was not necessary, though; she would have been able to start the engine by fiddling with the mechanism. Being around Spanner allowed her to pick up a few tricks along the way especially with Lal around pointing out which kinds of things were handy to learn about.

The salty spray of the sea brushed her clothes and her skin with increasing coldness but it was as though her senses have become deaf, dumb and blind to anything but the cold in her heart and the ice in her veins. Even her gaze was frozen; lacking the warmth and the softness she had become known for by members of her own Famiglia. Instead of the soft purple of bruised violets her eyes turned the color of stony amethysts. Unforgiving and cold. Exchanging all ability to love and care for cruel brutality and chilling inhumanity.

This was the face Chrome Dokuro put on for the sake of her Famiglia. Pushing aside her humanity and wrapping her heart and veins in a wall of ice to keep herself from feeling. To keep herself from stepping away. All for the sake of everything she wanted to protect.

She parked the speedboat on a vacant dock once she reached the main canals of Venice, floating in unassuming peace amongst other boats of every kind making it nigh on unnoticeable. Her viola case still clutched in her hand her legs brought her over to a Vongola safe house she had used when in the area before; a haven where members of the Famiglia who are in need of them can use if the villa cannot be reached. A little bit of her power was used to make sure no one ever noticed her as she passed by even though her eye patch should have garnered a look or two from the crowd she was mingling with.

She strode over to a small alley a few blocks away from the Grand Canal and walked on until she reached a small, narrow, two storey house sandwiched among the other occupied houses lining the block. Like all the other houses of the residential area the house she was aiming for was worn out and unassuming. The burnt orange paint peeling off and bits of plaster falling off the walls.

Small children were playing off on the doorstep of one of the houses Chrome was passing and a pair of old men played chess nearby. A handful of housewives scuttled around doing the laundry, coming and going to market or cleaning house but no one paid her any mind. The female Mist Guardian entered through the back door and so they saw no stranger carrying a viola case entering the presumably abandoned house.

As soon as she entered, she was met with the same peeling paint and crumbling plaster that greeted her outside the house. It was empty except for the stairs and the fuse box stuck against the wall in front of her.

Walking over to a deceptively old looking fuse box that had seven switches of all colors of the rainbow on it located at the foot of the stairs that would lead to the old building's second floor, Chrome turned on all the fuses except the second to the last one. The one with the color of Indigo. At that she felt the old house come to life underneath her, the hum of an unseen generator clear in her sensitive ears. She then proceeded to climb the stairs to the second floor where she was met by another empty floor. The only thing it had was a lone bed, an unused fireplace… and a usb outlet stared conspicuously back at her. Finding her target she knelt beside the outlet, pulled a thin piece of cable from a little button of her watch's bracelet that produced a usb cable and inserted it into the outlet. Turning the connection on she was satisfied when the face of her watch flashed a solid green and the holographic screen from earlier appeared again.

"Computer, log on CEDEF intranet. Activate voice recognition." Chrome commanded softly. "User name code: Nakayama Nagi. Password: Truth of the Lie."

The familiar holographic green screen spread up in front of her automatically spreading wider until it was twelve inches wide; following her command showing her the welcome page of CEDEF's Intranet website. Instantly logging on to her email exclusively accessible only on this site she saw an email from Basil. The female Mist Guardian allowed herself to feel a moment of relief that she didn't have to talk to the CEDEF deputy director for the moment. She didn't mind sharing intel with CEDEF at all; she owed CEDEF for taking her under their wing for so long and molding her into the person she was right now but Sawada Iemitsu's organization was known for beinga little paranoid when it came to the Decimo's safety. If they found out about the potential threat presented by a member of the Italian government they would most likely send out agents in full force and blow the issue out of proportion.

Besides if they find out they would surely report it to the Vongola. And since CEDEF only reported directly to the Vongola Decimo...

Chrome gritted her teeth and swallowed hard. The Boss can't find out she was here. Reborn already told her he must not know and Hayato had agreed. There was no going back now.

Honed by years of practice, Chrome tightened her resolution and went back to work, shelving her emotions and encasing herself in her cold bubble. She scanned through the information Basil emailed her. She read it over a few more times so she was sure she had the senator's itinerary memorized before shutting off the terminal and gathering her things. She put everything the way they were before and left the house, her mind already on her first stop and deciding on how to intercept her target.

As soon as she was out on the open street again the purple haired woman checked her watch again.

15:27.

The target would still be in his hotel room. The Hotel Violino d'Oro. It was either that or he must be idling somewhere else in town. She set her watch to vibrate every five minutes so she would not forget the time. She needed to do what is to be done in half an hour.

The ice in her eyes never melted as she started down the stairs of the dilapidated house.

As soon as she was outside the Vongola Mist ring practically exploded with electric indigo colored flames at the slightest prompt from its mistress and the rapidly darkening sky which hid her from the eyes of bystanders below what with her flames blending with the twilight. If one with experience with flames were to look she would have appeared to be an indigo shooting star slicing across the city of Venice. Chrome merely reformed back into a solid body when she found the roof of Hotel Lisbona which was built right across Hotel Violino d'Oro where the senator was staying. Staying low and in shadow among the Italian style building's roof tiles she assessed the other hotel with a practiced eye to locate her target. Armed with CEDEF information it was easy. She had a good view of one of the hotel's VIP suites.

Sharp, merciless amethyst eyes easily found the target lounging in his suite, seemingly posing in front of a mirror and situated in just the right way that he was standing sideways in front of the window. A pudgy looking man with thinning hair and a rather vain taste in gold jewelry.

Chrome crouched like a black jaguar, glossy fur glinting indigo in the sunlight, her trident poised like a spear in her hand. A thin sheet of Mist flames rising from her ring to cover the entirety of the roof she was on making her invisible and soundless even in broad daylight. Satisfied that her attack would be soundless and untraceable she concentrated the majority of her flames into her trident, melding the wispy fires of her power into the metal.

One shot; one Mist induced lightning bolt duplicated by her Cloud flames and it would be over. The man would be dead.

_He_ would be safe.

He will live…

Her flames were charging up in order to strike; expanding and thickening to the point where it was almost a corporeal object. All she needed to do now was to throw and impale the illusory weapon into the man's heart. She had done it before. It would leave no scars, no wounds, no blood. It would be written off as a heart attack or a fatal aneurysm only the victim's face would be frozen in a silent scream of terror. Either way it was the quickest way to kill a person without having to go through all the trouble to cover up the deed. She didn't use it too often, though since she needed to keep her anonymity. As Lal-shishou taught her once any currency used too often loses its value. Unless she needed a clean, quick kill this Mist Spear was kept under lock and key.

Suddenly Chrome felt another presence near her. The icy wall she had surrounded herself with had detected an angry fire she immediately reacted to by instinct.

Immediately she rolled backwards several feet away from where she originally was and crouched defensively, her trident hiding the accumulated flames but alert in her hand, at the ready to attack the owner of the raging Flame that approached. Her still blank eyes lifted up and stared at this new threat and met with garnet eyes burning red against Venice's blue sky.

"Dokuro." The barely repressed furious growl vibrated in the very air she was breathing. The killing intent and the flames he was leaking out was so astounding that it even held the birds at nearby St. Mark's Square immobile, some of them even dropping dead at the phenomena that was the Varia Boss. Standing before her and looking down at her form in rage was a very angry looking Xanxus. "What the _fuck _do you think you're _doing_?"

On any other day she would have cowered. On any other ordinary day she would have meekly lowered her head and passively subjected herself to whatever punishment the dark skinned Italian sought fit to wound her with. _Anyone_ would have cowered at the sight of a displeased Xanxus. Even his own officers treaded lightly around him when he got like this…

But today Chrome Dokuro merely straightened her stance and icy cold amethyst eyes stared straight at burning pyrope pupils fearlessly. Like an alabaster queen looking down at an interloping peasant. This was the Hitman form of Chrome Dokuro.

"What are you doing here?" she merely asked; her voice quiet and emotionless, confident and cold. And calm. Always calm.

This made Xanxus' eyes widen in surprise. Clearly he was not expecting such a response. Chrome didn't note such a reaction. Caring about the perception of others at this point of a mission meant nothing to her.

Xanxus seems to have acknowledged this as well, finally recognizing the expression on her face, before scowling and glaring at her again. "_What am I doing here_? What the _hell_ do you think I'm _doing_ here?!"

"You need to go back to the villa," she replied her gaze still unmoving. "You are in the way."

Xanxus stared at her incredulously. "What the fuck did you just say?!"

Chrome stretched out and aimed her trident at the speechless Mafia Boss, ready to shoot him with the Mist flame charged spear. "I don't want to hurt you. Please get out of the way."

"Dokuro, have you gone out of your damned mind?"

"Get. Out. Of. The. Way."

"WOMAN!" Xanxus shot at her feet with his X-Gun forcing her to jump back and go on the defensive. "Are you challenging _me_?!"

Chrome knew, from being with Xanxus long enough and examining his habits that no one other than her own Boss and Byakuran and possibly Hibari-san were ever given a serious fight by the Varia Boss. He was far too confident, far too sure of his own prowess to really take anyone other than the obviously powerful a real fight. She also knew that even though she was acknowledged, Xanxus had never really known just what kind of damage she could do. She was the other side of the Mist; the Shield part of Nebbia that protected instead of attacked.

No one ever really counted on her growing sharp edges…

She might admittedly not be as strong as the man but she can use the element of surprise and her Mist to bind him, surely. Although for how long was the true test of faith she needed to get over.

So before the Varia Boss could reach her she dissipated into a cloud of Mist flames and appeared on a roof far from the hotels and the main traffic of people so as not to alert her target. A little bit more flame manipulation and she assured that whatever explosion would happen between them would merely look like an explosion of fireworks from the untrained eye.

Xanxus' eyes widened in fury at the distance she had gained in only a split moment. Taking advantage of his surprised state, Chrome locked Xanxus' limbs with the illusion of Night Blooming Jasmine vines; the flowers looking so real in the way they bloomed and crept around the Italian's body that their scent scattered in the air around them.

"DAMN IT!" he yelled and Chrome was surprised when, with a violent burst of his Flame, he had managed to disperse her illusions as though they were merely wisps of smoke from a passing cigarette. Angrier than she had ever seen him, the man started stalking towards her, his glare practically screaming her death. "Dokuro, I'm going to count to 5. If you don't stop by then I'm going to stop holding back!"

"Go back." she replied, her heart pounding from the adrenaline and the thought of such a strong opponent testing her. It had been such a long time since this has happened. This mix of fear and excitement that she had learned to appreciate while she was training with Hibari back in high school. Still she reminded herself that her main objective as to bind Xanxus and nothing more. This was not a free for all. "You are not supposed to be here."

"1."

Chrome tried to hold him in place once more after the menacing growl. Instead of vines she drew the illusion of chains. Xanxus remained unfazed but the chains held.

"2."

The female Mist Guardian's gaze widened. She didn't know why but somehow, something told her that the chains won't be enough to hold him. She reinforced the chains by enveloping Xanxus' feet with wrecking ball sized weights.

"3."

In a flick of her wrist she added shackles to the mix, binding Xanxus' arms around his body, his X-Guns wrapped in ceramic rendering them useless in battle.

"4."

Swiping her trident in a sweeping motion towards the Varia Boss, the one eyed woman enveloped the Italian in a black hole rimmed with Mist flames; a trick she had eventually remembered from Daemon Spade's brief stay in her mind- transporting the man away a few kilometers from where she was. It was not as powerful as the First Generation Illusionist's and she didn't have the kind off endless stamina that came with being dead for four hundred years but it was enough to buy her just enough time to do what she needed to do.

Peering down at the busy streets below she saw that her illusion held through her battle with Xanxus; people still passed by and went on with their daily business, occassionally admiring the 'fireworks' without knowing that a major battle had almost crushed the building she was standing on down on them. With a mental prompt, Chrome made sure they stayed away and not come near the building. After she was satisfied she began to turn back towards the roof of Hote Lisbona to finish the assassination.

It was time Paolo Dela Torre died.

But before she could even take one step off the roof of the nameless building she was on, her eye widened in shock as she felt something rip through her mental barriers that warned her of her illusion's failure. From directly behind her she felt that violent, angry flame once more. A flame that was made up by the reddish orange flames that now rendered her illusions useless.

"5."

At the sound so close she could feel his breath on her neck, she shivered against her will. And then she felt hands encircling her neck, the heat in them so intense they might as well have been on fire. Any other person would have frozen under the sheer aura of the killer intent coming from the dark haired man and had she not have been trained by a member of the I Prescelti Sette she would have dropped her trident and raised her hands in surrender or fainted...

But she was trained better than that.

Again she dispersed her body into a shapeless blanket of Mist and appeared behind the violent Italian this time. But conjuring the black hole had taxed her and she had drawn on too much of her energy to make sure the battle was covered up from the public in broad daylight so she had to catch her breath. However, Xanxus had other ideas.

With a burst of flame and an outraged yell the Varia Boss propelled himself towards the female Vongola Mist Guardian, his other hand reaching out to take her neck in his hand with seemingly every intention of squeezing it into oblivion. But Chrome's state of mind, the adrenaline rush that he generated in her with his intensity made her turn amethyst hard eyes at the attempt.

Xanxus obviously wasn't counting on her evaporating in thin indigo Mist flames again and disappearing before his eyes before he could even touch her. Thinking she would appear far behind him once more he started to turn but he stopped when he felt the edges of her trident poking against the back of his shoulder before he could even do so.

"Please go back," her cold voice told him again. "I have no time for you right now."

Any other man would have sensibly surrendered and saved themselves the pain and the injury but this was Xanxus. He was feared by a lot of people for a reason.

Chrome's eye narrowed when Xanxus ignored her weapon and turned towards her with an X-Gun drawn out and charged to shoot. The move left the dark skinned Italian with deep holes in his shoulder from the trident that was supposed to keep him still; the wounds making him bleed all around them.

Chrome bit her lip at the sight, the sight of Xanxus' blood shaking her resolve greatly. She had promised herself that she would protect Xanxus. She had promised.

She was breaking her promises again...

Her resolve started to crumble at her feet and that split second hesitation cost her greatly..

Xanxus grabbed the collar of her coat and threw her down back onto the tiled roof, pinning her there with a hand around her neck, finally catching her.

Chrome flinched, pain raced across her back and she saw stars behind her eyelids at the impact. She still had very low pain tolerance but Lal had made sure she would be able to take a hit. Again she tried to escape his grip by turning her body into indigo vapor but his grip on her tightened further and the Flame that ignited and started to charge in his X-Gun was a clear warning that if she dared try to dissipate again he would burn her alive.

"When I fucking tell you to do something," Xanxus growled in her ear as he tightened his hold on her further until she was sure she was going to have new bruises. "You _do_ it, _damn you_!"

Before she could reply she felt Xanxus' knee digging into her stomach. When she opened her eyes she saw the Varia boss aiming an X-Gun right at her face.

She was about to fight some more; her training had been useful enough that she could get out of these certain situations now. Use her powers and delve into his mind to make him do whatever she wanted would be a start. In fact, she was pretty sure that she could prolong the fight with Xanxus if she really wanted to and at that point her resolve to make sure her Boss was safe was enough for her to want to try... Until she felt several drops of liquid drop on her right cheek and slide down her face like thick, coagulating tears. Only they weren't tears...

They were blood.

Xanxus' blood.

_Oh God what had she done...?_

Her gaze widened in shock and guilt as the realization hit her like a punch in the gut. "Xanxus-sama..."

His sneer trembled at her angrily and she was close enough to see the grimace behind the feral turn of his lip.

"Woman," he hissed at her through gritted teeth. "How _dare_ you raise a hand against me?!"

Chrome tried to close her eyes against the betrayal she could read deep within the anger in his voice but she couldn't. This was all her fault. So what Levi said was true. Xanxus _did_ have tears despite what everyone says. Only his tears flowed through his voice and his actions. And now he was sad and upset because he thought she left him and fought him because she betrayed him. Because she had forgotten him. So she dealt with it the only way she knew how.

She reached up and let go of his wrists and ignored the hand that was choking her. Instead she reached up and cupped his face in her hands softly and looked up straight into his eyes with all the guilt she had in her before speaking.

"I'm so sorry, Xanxus-sama…"

His lips curled back in a ferocious snarl and Chrome closed her eyes to accept her punishment. A bullet through the head would be a mercy and she hoped he would be kind enough to grant her a quick death.

'_Sweet dreams…_' she whispered in her mind, feeling a tear fall from the corner of her closed good eye knowing _he_ would hear her regardless no matter where he was. Surely… _surely _she would be allowed this much. '_Until we meet again…_'

However, instead of a quick death, Chrome gasped when she felt herself being yanked up by the collar of her trench coat, forcing her eye open to stare startled into Xanxus' garnet eyes. The female Mist Guardian's gaze widened when she saw that the fierce fury that made his eyes glow red with the fires of hell earlier had mellowed to the glow of slumberous embers. The anger was still there; she could feel it burning into her like red hot brands but it was under control at the moment. A simmer compared to the volcanic eruption from earlier.

"_Why_?" he spat the word at her through bared gritted teeth, his eyes daring her to look away. "Why are you _doing _this?!"

Chrome felt her heart pounding in her chest; she felt like Xanxus' emotions were enough to suffocate her in their intensity. Inwardly she smiled sadly, she shouldn't be surprised that the Varia Boss could influence others with just the force of his emotions. Such was the power of a Sky…

"ANSWER ME, GODDAMN YOU!" the dark skinned Italian yelled at her when she didn't respond quickly enough, jerking her violently closer to him in an effort to motivate.

"He needs to die." She finally replied; her voice hardening and no trace of regret coloring her face.

"I KNOW THAT!" Xanxus roared down at her. "What I want to know is why the FUCK are you rushing to do it?!"

"It's my duty." Chrome answered again, no hesitation in her reply, only soft neutrality.

"Your _duty_," he shook her by the collar so hard that Chrome was disoriented for a moment. "Is to _stay_ by my _side_! Your _duty_ is to answer to _me_! ME! DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND?!"

Chrome had to close her eye for a moment; the guilt riding up her heart at the truth of the statement. Reborn had assigned her to the Varia and her duty was to be the Varia's tool for whatever they see fit for her. She was not to question this, she was not to disobey. Xanxus had every right to demand her loyalty; she owed it to him. Already he has shown her the depth of his protection and has made his demands of her clear. She was bound to him until Reborn comes back and takes her away again. To place under another roof and do her duty.

To restart all over again.

But… But…

"It had to be done," she finally replied in a whisper, her eyes sad but unrepentant when she finally opened them again. "He was a threat to the Decimo."

"You mean this is all because of _Sawada_?" the disbelief was naked in his voice; an emotion she was sure people would pay to hear from the elusive and feared Varia Boss. "You are risking all this… for the _brat_?!"

Chrome met his incredulity; she would not hide away from this truth. She knew Xanxus hated her Boss with every ounce of passion he had in himself and she couldn't blame him. The loss of the Vongola throne was a hard blow for someone with Xanxus' pride. The fact that it was merely because of his lack of true Vongola blood didn't matter, it merely salvaged what was left of his pride. And that pride was Varia.

She knew but she didn't care. She refused to look away from his hate. "Please, Xanxus-sama… Please, I'm begging you…"

She watched Xanxus' face contort with renewed fury and felt the hand around her neck loosen for a few moments before he seemingly caught himself and the hand tightened around her neck once more, this time choking her as his face sneered down and growled at her like a savage beast. "You have no right to ask for favors, Woman!"

This did not faze the female illusionist. She was past the point of pride; past the point of honor; past the point of the way of the warrior; past the point of no return… Only one thing mattered to her now; and she would rather stop breathing than give it up.

The amethyst in her eye melted into a soft violet until they turned deep and bruised and both her hands softly held the wrist of the hand that Xanxus had wrapped around her neck, pleading to him with every part of her body; with every beat of her heart…

"Just this once…" she continued to beg; her whisper both pleading and fierce. "I will take any form of punishment… I will take any kind of blame so just please… _Please_. Let me be his Mist Guardian again…"

Xanxus' eyes widened at this as though he had just been stabbed in the gut from behind; his grip tightening around her neck again but Chrome refused to so much as blink despite the pain and the lack of oxygen. She couldn't lose this war. She can't afford to fold underneath all that rage because she was fighting for something more important than her own wellbeing. Something that was bigger than her…

"Is he really that important?" the dark Italian asked, his voice roughly reflecting his displeasure.

All Chrome could do was continue to beg with her eyes as she answered him with every ounce of honesty she had in her. "He is my Sky."

She watched the fury flare in his face once more; like a geyser that was about to burst, and she thought this was the end of her. But he surprised her by throwing him away from himself and onto the tiled roof like something that disgusted him. Chrome didn't dare utter a single squeak but kept her gaze on his face waiting to see what he would do next.

"Fucking hell." he turned away from her and Chrome's gaze widened when he turned the still charged X-gun towards Paolo Dela Torres' hotel window. "Why didn't you just say so?"

Was he... Was he going to blow the entire hotel up...?

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing this for Sawada," Xanxus continued on with an unholy smirk on his face even as his flames lit everything around them a vibrant red-orange color. "I'll do this for you just once... And then you'll owe me a favor..."

She stared at the strong back of the dark Italian before her with awe and disbelief.

He really _was_ going to blow that entire building up!

"Mammon isn't the only one who charges with interest. Just remember, Woman," he growled quietly as his finger moved towards the trigger. "You owe me."

"BOSS XANXUS!"

Chrome gasped when she saw Gennaro Sulis and some of his subordinates running down the street and standing in the way between the Varia Boss' guns. Seeing what the Varia Boss was doing, all of them froze in fear like deer in headlights. Before she could think she practically flew to her feet and lightly touched Xanxus' forearm.

The man scowled and retracted his flames from his gun. "Those scum had better have a very good explanation for this or I swear I will fucking roast them where they stand."

Chrome merely nodded. She barely stifled a gasp when Xanxus grabbed her by the waist and jumped down from the roof down to the dark, isolated alley behind the building they were on. A building that, to her surprised, was five floors up. Surprised she had no choice but grab onto the front of his dress shirt and allow herself to be pressed closely to his heat; a blush automatically burning her face as she felt every line of hard muscle from his chest down to his legs and smell that warm, pleasant scent of brandy and oranges mingling with smoke.

Was this what it felt like to fall from grace? she wondered.

But then something distracted her from the unexpected free fall. It was the fact that she had realized her armor of ice had melted all around her. Somewhere along the way he broke her out of the icy prison she had locked herself in when she set out to find Dela Torre. Shattered beyond repair by his passion. And she didn't even realize it until now. No one has ever broken her out of that shell besides her Boss and Hibari-san! She closed her eyes and shivered at the the realization.

She cared about this man. She truly did care whether he lived or died, this was not just an obligation anymore. She cared about him the way she cared about Mukuro-sama, Kyoko-chan, I-pin chan and the rest of her Family. And not just him either... If anything happened to the Varia...

Lal-shishou had always scolded her about letting her emotions get away with her especially during missions. How many times had she been punished and scolded and had to be rescued when she allowed herself to care? How many times had she have to rise above her mistakes when her charges became more than charges and became people she wanted to make connections with.

Chrome wanted to shed tears at her neediness.

She hadn't changed at all. Showing her just the slightest bit of affection could still make her attached. Reborn-san was wrong. She was not at his level yet at all. She was still just Nagi. Shy, good for nothing, soft hearted little Nagi. Who was unfortunate enough to be born with Mist flames instead of Sky or Sun flames so her destiny would always be to walk in the path of shadows; unwelcome and misunderstood by all. Because she cannot keep up with the expectations of everyone had of the Mist because she didn't have the disposition for it...

"Woman," Chrome blinked when she heard Xanxus' voice whisper softly to her as they neared the ground; she could feel his hard chest rumbling against her soft breasts with every word he spoke and heightening her blush. "Don't you dare show weakness in front of these scum. You are fucking Varia. Act like it."

Surprised, Chrome blinked at the rough demand... And then her face broke into a soft, grateful smile as she looked up at Xanxus' still scowling face which was still glaring at the mafioso running towards them some from still some distance away.

_Yes_, she thought to herself fondly. For all his rough demeanor, his disrespectful attitude, his violence and his malice there was no longer any doubt in her mind. _This man was Family..._

She felt their feet touch the ground lightly and she donned a neutral expression on her face; the other men approached and so she carefully placed herself behind the Varia Boss. Was it just her or had his arm slid around her waist with heavy reluctance? Oh how silly; of course not. He was probably just wary she would evaporate again and leave them.

"Boss!" Gennaro panted before kneeling before the man on one knee, his subordinates copying his actions, bowing all their heads after giving Chrome a surprisingly dodgy glance. "We were called by CEDEF a few moments ago and their Deputy Chief wants to speak with Signorina Dokuro right away."

"She was busy," Xanxus snarled at the Sulis Boss from the top of his nose. "Didn't you louts tell him that?"

"W-we did but he says it was really important and that she should try to access her messages immediately."

"Che," Xanxus spat at the canal and continued scowling. "Didn't that ass kissing son of a bitch at least tell you what it was all about before rushing your fucking asses over here?"

But Chrome had stopped listening the moment Gennaro had said Basil was looking for her. Pulling out her watch she quickly pulled out the holographic green screen once again and accessed her intranet email with CEDEF. She was met by an email with an attachment. When she pulled the attachment up and saw the video it contained her eyes widened. And turned cold once more.

"Good job," her cold voice, laced in velvet, donning her armor of ice once more as another mission was made clear to her. "Please surround the perimeter of Hotel Violino d'Oro. I don't want anyone getting near the VIP suites for any reason."

The kneeling men blinked at her in surprise, not expecting her to speak at all before Gennaro snarled at her in response. "How dare you, I don't take orders from-"

"Scum," the click of a safety echoed in the alleyway like a death knoll effectively silencing the larger man and staring in wide eyed fear and surprise at the Varia Boss currently eyeing him with a cold, glittering eyes. "Since when did you start buying the balls to question one of _my_ officers?"

The Sulis Famiglia were all struck speechless and for a quick second, Chrome threw Xanxus a wide eye of incredulity herself before she flashed him a smile again and then nodded quietly in gratitude before donning her ice again.

"Plan's changed; our target is Senator Paolo Dela Torre of the Ministry of Infrastructures currently occupying a VIP suite at the Hotel Violino d'Oro," she said as she started forward to get out of the alleyway and into the semi crowded street. "I want him alive."

/*****/

"Ne, Hibari, what are we doing here?"

Takeshi wasn't really surprised when the skylark merely kept on walking as though he hadn't spoken at all. Knowing for a fact that this was merely the usual for the former prefect, the baseball player merely grabbed Shigure Kintoki from the passenger seat of his car and strode after the man, waving cheerfully at Kusakabe who bowed to him respectfully as he passed by from beside Hibari's car with the intention of guarding their vehicles while they did their business inside the building they stopped in front of.

Takeshi caught sight of the skylark walking in through the lobby of the posh, residential looking apartment building before disappearing out of his sight. All the baseball player could do was sigh.

When Takeshi took Hibari's offer to assist him in helping Chrome, the baseball player thought he was going to have to follow the skylark out of the country. He was _not_ expecting a trip to an unassuming street bordering Ikebukuro and Shinjuku. Knowing his fellow Guardian Takeshi was sure Hibari had a very good reason for his actions. He was not the type to waste time. So the younger man followed Hibari and trusted in the former prefect even though the skylark offered him no explanation, reason or excuse. Takeshi knew that wherever it was Hibari was going answers were sure to be found. He might not be active in the Famiglia's operations but he had seen enough of Hibari's activities to understand the way the Cloud Guardian worked.

It did not take long for them to reach the fifth floor of the building and Takeshi had to admit the place looked quite comfortable. The kind of place that housed both well to do residents and small, private businesses who had enough money to live well in a city like Tokyo. Hibari mentioned he was going to meet a contact before they left so it was a safe bet that his contact lived or did business here.

The baseball player steadied his grip on his disguised sword; his smile growing in a sharp, almost predatory way that would have made Squalo proud had the other Rain guardian been watching.

With Hibari, one never knew what to expect, after all. Better safe than sorry.

Takeshi watched the older Guardian stop in front of a non-descript door and push a button for the intercom. A buzz came on briefly before a somewhat high pitched voice answered back.

"Yes~?"

Hibari stayed aloof and unmoving even as he responded in a low growl. "Flea."

There was a lengthy pause and Takeshi wondered if the owner of the voice was already starting to run for their lives. Getting a visit from the infamous skylark almost never ended up good for anyone so it would be the wisest course of action.

But much to Takeshi's surprised amusement, the voice came back on. Only a lot more solemn than before.

"Ah, Hibari-danna, what a surprise; please hold on a moment."

Another bout of silence ensued and a few moments later, the door opened to reveal a lean man with a fur collared bomber jacket wearing a smile so wide and fake it would have rivaled Mukuro's. Hibari passed the man and went inside the apartment as though he owned it. Takeshi noted how the stranger didn't even bat an eyelash at this behavior and even mock bowed the Cloud Guardian in.

"Welcome, Vongola," the stranger greeted rather insolently, spreading the sickeningly sweet grin to Takeshi as well but generally ignoring him. "La mia casa è la tua casa. I see you have brought a new companion for today instead of your right hand man. Nice to meet you, my name is Izaya. Orihara Izaya."

Takeshi nodded and grinned goofily, a hand scratching the back of his neck. "Yamamoto Takeshi."

"Ah~" Takeshi felt himself tense up at the sly recognition in the other man's eyes. "The Vongola Rain Guardian."

Takeshi's eyes sharpened. All these years becoming officially part of the Mafia taught him to be wary of any unknown entity knowing about his or his Family's affiliation. His fingers twitched around Shigure Kintoki still slung over his shoulder even as he maintained his grin, silently reminding himself that the man was a civilian and they needed something from him. Silencing him was not an option at the moment but he was curious as to who the man was and what his relation was to the Vongola.

However Orihara merely continued to eye him speculatively. "How unusual that I would be able to meet you, Rain Guardian-san. I would never have thought you would be on a mission especially now that your team should be preparing for games."

"Flea," Hibari suddenly said effectively catching Izaya's attention and steering his sharp eyes away from Takeshi's increasingly narrowing ones. "I only agreed to make an appointment with you today because you informed me that you had information about certain things I wanted. You are wasting my time and if you delay any further, I will bite you to death."

"Ah yes," the man who called himself Orihara Izaya nodded, seemingly unruffled by the threat coming from both men. He even seemed amused by it for some reason. Takeshi was left alone as the 'Flea' walked towards the Cloud Guardian, making sure he kept at least five steps away. Privately, the baseball player knew the slender stranger would need more distance than that if he wanted to dodge any of Hibari's attacks should the skylark decide to throw a fit. "Mukuro-dono was quite specific when he informed all the underground information channels he has influence over to report any connections that may lead to the possible dangers involving Chrome Dokuro to the Foundation."

It took everything Takeshi had to stop his jaw from falling off his face.

_Since when did Hibari and Mukuro start working together? _

"Talk." Hibari's cold voice slashed through the Rain Guardian's surprise. "Or be bitten to death."

"My apologies," Izaya bowed his head again a little; mockingly submissive before pocketing his hands inside his bomber jacket and spoke. "I think it would relieve you to know that I have information as to where Chrome-sama is... something that even the infamous Foundation does not know about."

Hibari didn't like the obvious slur to his group's abilities and had his tonfa out in a flash of metal. Takeshi, sensing this before he even saw it, immediately placed himself in front of the irritable Cloud Guardian, effectively saving Izaya from the business end of the skylark's weapons. His sudden burst of speed had the information broker blinking and then forcing out a crooked grin. Takeshi had to wonder at this one's sanity. The man should understand enough that no matter how smart he thought he was taking on two Vongola Guardians at the same time was way out of his league.

"Now, now, Hibari," Takeshi lightly reasoned with the former prefect; his suddenly narrowed ochre colored eyes trained sharply at the slender man even as he casually kept himself in front of the Cloud Guardian. "Let's hear what Orihara-san has to say first… You can always play with him later."

"Ara?" Izaya asked, his smirk not quite hiding his nervousness and dawning realization that he may have bitten off more than he could chew. "The calming Rain encouraging the violence of the wandering Cloud?"

"The Rain can be a weapon of the Cloud when it needs to be." Takeshi returned; his smile quiet. "As long as it is for the sake of the Sky which engulfs."

Izaya's grin promptly dropped off and wariness freely set in on his face. Takeshi watched as the information broker straightened his stance and his hands, so insolently hidden in his pockets before were now visible by his sides. The Rain Guardian smiled in approval.

This would be a lot easier if Izaya-san knew his boundaries because he was not very eager to stain Shigure Kintoki with the blood of someone he just met and barely knew.

Tsuna would be very upset with him.

Takeshi felt Hibari glance at him before reluctantly lowering his tonfa and nodding in approval at his actions; the baseball player wondered whether the skylark brought him along for the sole purpose of acting as a buffer between this Izaya person and imminent death also known as Hibari Kyouya. The thought made him internally sweat drop.

"Foundation already knows she is with Varia," Hibari icily declared, glaring at the man. "Do not dare try to underestimate Foundation."

Izaya blinked, not expecting this before his smirk turned sheepish. "I should have known; my apologies then."

Takeshi was shocked, however and again felt the need to clench his teeth hard to stop his jaw from falling to the floor.

Chrome was hardly the kind of person he would expect to survive in an environment littered with Varia. Living with Squalo alone would make anyone lose their hearing let alone the hearing of the most delicate of the 10th Generation's Guardians.

But then he remembered Squalo's last words to him before he ended that phone call. He promised. Sure it could have been worded better but in Squalo speak it was a promise nonetheless. If Chrome were in any danger from Xanxus then the silver haired swordsman would have contacted him by now. Pride alone would have never allowed Squalo to keep such things from him.

"I know, I was quite surprised when I found out myself but I've confirmed this through a few signatures from some of Varia's documents addressed to clients who are among my contacts," Izaya nodded. "They all had her name on the dotted line as Varia's Special Assignations Representative."

Takeshi screwed up his face at the title. "Varia doesn't have a 'Special Assignations Representative'."

"Apparently they do now," Izaya shrugged, still with the ever present grin. "Officially she's just supposed to be Mammon's stand in it seemed. But for some reason she now has the Varia's trust if they are allowing her so much control over mission assignations. Superbi Squalo is notorious for personally guaranteeing the 100% success rate Varia keeps on ranting about and to have him allow anyone else other than himself access to such a duty is a sure sign of acceptance from the Varia."

Takeshi blinked at that. Chrome must have had to work hard. It would only be reasonable if they needed a stand in for Mammon if the Arcobaleno needed to be out on Arcobaleno business. He was of the understanding that the only reason Mammon would leave Varia was if they had Arcobaleno issues, after all. But then that would mean that Reborn...

The implication made his eyes widen for a bit.

"That explains why no one knows about Varia's true current condition," Hibari nodded to himself; either oblivious or uncaring of Takeshi's silent mental breakdown at the revelations being presented to him. "It is the duty of a Mist Guardian to mask the Famiglia's weaknesses and strengths from others, after all."

"And she does this well," Izaya agreed. "From the rumors I heard the Varia has suffered significant losses after the last attack on their fortress but from the way their activities seem to be flourishing lately instead of slowing down it remains nothing but a rumor hence Vongola's enemies remain uncertain whether or not to attack and I suspect it is all because of their 'Special Assignations Representative'."

"...Continue." Hibari ordered, ignoring the comment, his frown making Takeshi think the skylark had arrived to the same conclusion.

Izaya nodded while Takeshi's eyes reverted over to his direction. "Apparently from what I'm gathering, Chrome-sama is being entrusted with Varia mission assignations since the rumor that their fortress had been attacked by a rather bold enemy."

"Enemy?" this perked the baseball player's interest considerably. "Attack the Varia?"

"You don't know?" the information broker raised a brow at them, a hint of disbelief coloring his voice.

Takeshi found he didn't have the motivation to grin, he did not like the sound of this.

Hibari answered for him. "We have had little to no communication with headquarters regarding Chrome and Varia— as you know have their own information network. If they don't want anyone to know what they are up to then no one will. Are you saying that she is in danger with them?"

"Well," the man's smug smile came back; it became clear to Takeshi that this was the kind of person who got off on the knowledge that he knew things others did not know. It was probably the reason why he chose his current career path. "My sources have confirmed the danger to Chrome-sama but it is _not_ from Varia; she is indeed being subjected to a lot of attention from an intricate circle called La Justicia Pasada."

_La Justicia Pasada?_ Takeshi frowned. What was that?

As though reading his mind, Izaya turned his smirk on him, picked up the television remote control and turned it on. Curious, Takeshi watched and saw a politician on a podium speaking through a microphone. It seemed to be a press conference of some sort; there were reporters everywhere. The man on the screen was speaking in Spanish but the subtitle feature of the flat screen made it possible for the baseball player to make out what the man was talking about.

'Senator Trinidad!' a reporter from below the podium yelled to be heard beyond the applause from the audience at the appearance of the senator. 'Please, sir, tell us how your campaign against the Mafia is going!'

The politician that was called Trinidad smiled benevolently before replying. "I am happy to say that the campaign is proving to be quite fruitful. I am happy to let everyone know that so far my colleagues and I have managed to arrest a few notable mafia groups that have managed to find their way into the country."

The camera switched over to the curtain that opened behind the senator and Takeshi's eyes widened at the sight of beaten up looking men and women with wrists locked up in handcuffs guarded by... policemen? No, these men weren't the police. Experience with the law and mercenaries rather pitted these guards towards the latter rather than the former.

Hibari hissed and if Takeshi wasn't so shocked he would have turned to the Cloud Guardian questioningly.

"Members of the Floris famiglia," Izaya nodded, understanding Hibari's reactions. "I believe you have a standing alliance with them, do you not?"

"They're just a minor family; smaller even than the Bovino," Takeshi found himself saying despite himself. "Tsuna agreed to an alliance with them despite all that because of their standing friendship with the Shimon. They've been mainly acting as agents answering to the Foundation since the Foundation handles most missions overseas, aren't they, Hiba—"

Takeshi stopped when he saw the clear murder written all over the Cloud Guardian's furious, widened eyes.

"It wouldn't matter," Izaya shrugged nonchalantly in reply. "At least not to this man."

As if on cue, the camera zoomed in on Cornelio once again, his sense of triumph plain on his face and a glint in his eyes that the swordsman did not like. It had a darkness to it that was dangerous and not completely natural. Like the look a pitcher from a losing team had when he knew all the saves were full and his throw was the only thing standing in between a win and a crippling loss.

"He may look all nice and pretty for the camera but he's basically insane," Izaya went on as the two Guardians watched Trinidad do a speech about how the Mafia was rotten and needed to be abolished and everything that had anything to do with it should disappear from the face of the earth. "And his sole desire is to end the Mafia. Here, watch this; this was uploaded in private setting on Youtube exactly an hour after this press conference was shot; seems that he sent the link to be exclusively viewed by the Mafia only. The only reason I managed to get it was because I got access to CEDEF's intranet and managed to get the link to it. Because of his connection to the group stalking your Mist Guardian, I thought I should show it to you."

Izaya went over to his laptop already set up on the coffee table nearby, seated beside an odd looking game board that looked like a mix of chess and Chinese checkers and began typing a few things before turning the screen so that the Vongola Guardians could take a good look at what it was showing.

A growing sense of dread filled Takeshi as it showed off a video of the same Floris members kneeling in front of the camera, hands still tied behind their backs; the floor under them covered in plastic. A flag hung behind them featuring unfamiliar symbols of scales and Spanish swords and the words 'Justicia Para Los Agraviados' written across it.

Two men armed with what seemed to be rapid fire M40s stood on each end of the line of men and women kneeling before the camera. In between them was a man lost in shadow but it didn't take Takeshi a lot to figure out just who it was that was in staring back at the camera. He knew it was Senator Trinidad's face.

"Mafia," Trinidad began in a voice that seemed to be the colder counter part of the warm and sophisticated one he used during the press conference and he was speaking right at the camera. Right at _them_. "I am sure you recognize the people before you at the moment. Associates of yours that dared exist and affiliate themselves to the Mafia. What a joke."

Trinidad held out his arm and a man from off camera came to him; this one also dressed in the fatigues and Kevlar the two armed men on either side of the Floris famiglia members were wearing. All three of them had ski masks on.

"Allow me to introduce Juan," Trinidad continued. "Juan is an orphan; just like most of the members of La Justicia Pasada. When he was ten years old his parents, along with other people who had once lived in Sardinia were not able to give enough pizzo and his father kept on borrowing from the Mafia until they were up to their ears in debt. And what does the Mafia do when he could not pay protection money? Why don't you show them, Juan, since they made you watch then?"

The man called Juan silently stepped forward, took out a Desert Eagle from his back pocket, stuck the barrel into one of the Floris men's heads, unhooked the safety… and pulled the trigger.

_BANG_!

Takeshi was barely able to hold back the desire to throw up as the dead body of the murdered Floris member fell on the plastic covered floor, his blood and pieces of his brain causing no harm to the room's original wooden flooring because of the covering. Despite the shock of the scene he noted that these men were professionals in the art of murder.

"Mauritio!" one of the two women screamed in agony through her bloody mouth.

'Juan', however, mercilessly repeated the same thing to all the other remaining four members of the caught Floris group. Until there was nothing left… Until there was no one left but the group of sadistically satisfied strangers cheering on the murders.

"An eye for an eye," Trinidad suddenly spoke gaining Takeshi's horrified attention.

"Rest assured that we will re-enact on you every single crime that you have committed against us. Against every single one of us that you Mafia pigs have deprived of family and friends. This is just the beginning. Xanxus and Rokudo Mukuro will have nowhere to run; nowhere to hide. We will be everywhere without you knowing. The hunt is on. I dare you to come at us."

And then the video ended.

Takeshi's face was tinged in green.

_That… couldn't have been real… right?_

"He has been obsessed about killing Xanxus for a while but then he found out about Chrome Dokuro," Takeshi and Hibari both glanced at the smaller man. "He's been after her ever since."

"What was that about Mukuro?" Takeshi asked, stomach still churning at the gore.

"That is unclear but I heard a rumor that he has been seen around Spain a day before this the press conference."

"Why?" Hibari demanded, his eyes sharper than usual and his aura practically radiated death. Takeshi could practically feel the Cloud Guardian's flames bursting at the seams filling the room with his suffocating killing intent. "Why is he interested in Chrome Dokuro?"

"Chrome-sama is a very beautiful woman," Izaya shrugged, seemingly unaffected by the execution he had just made them watch but Takeshi could see the labored breathing under the jacket. "She could catch the eye of any red blooded man by just flashing a wrist at them."

"No." Takeshi's voice was cold and hard; like sharp rain that fell around the end of autumn before the snows floated down softly to announce winter. Anyone who had known him only as a star baseball player would have been shocked at the change his easy going face had gone through in just a matter of moments. "That man will _not_ touch Chrome."

The Rain Guardian didn't care if he was leaking killing intent all over the place along with Hibari. He didn't care if he can't understand Chrome Dokuro. All he knew was that the man Trinidad was a threat to a friend. A friend that has helped him in his time of need before. He will not let her down.

Izaya stared at him, unnerved for a moment at the sheer amount of power choking him for just being in the same room as these men. He would have left if it weren't for the fact that he had wanted to experience what it felt to stand in the presence of all this power known as the Vongola.

"If you ask me they're just one of many vigilante groups trying to get rid of the Mafia. Although their ideals aren't really so different from others their ties to the Spanish government does set them apart even though that part is not so well known," Izaya kept on his commentary. "What you should be worrying about are the people who are financing La Justicia Pasada… Because even I don't know every single one of them yet."

Hibari turned his head towards the information broker's direction so fast it was a wonder he didn't get himself whiplash. "What did you say?"

Izaya raised his brows at him in mock innocence. "Don't tell me you believe that act is something that could have survived without any support from people outside that faction?"

"Trinidad might be using government money."

"He did and the Vongola's contact in the Spanish government are already waiting for a chance to pounce on him at the slight hint of illegal movement to accuse him of all crimes," Izaya agreed with Hibari. "But as you can see it is not that simple. If any of his accusers brought this up now then they would be forced to reveal their sources and since the link, although he had run it through Youtube was in a setting which only allowed people in possession of the link to view it. Their connections to the Mafia would be revealed and poof! it would be the end of their respective political careers. And I have every reason to believe that once that happens, Trinidad will have no problems acquiring the power to kill every single Mafia member and all their next of kin in his mission to seek 'Justice for the Abused'."

"He wouldn't!"

"Ah but didn't you hear what he said, Rain Guardian-sama?" Izaya blinked up at him in mock innocence. "An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth. If they are what they say they are then chance are that all those men who make up this private little army were survivors of Mafia violence, their families taken away from them because of the darker side of the Mafia one way or the other. Revenge is the only thing these men live for; revenge is the only thing they feed on."

Takeshi tightened his hand around Shigure Kintoki, fury running through his blood, sharpening his eyes and his smile. This was absolutely unforgiveable.

Thoroughly enjoying the reaction he was getting from the Rain guardian, Izaya continued. "I must admit, whoever is sponsoring them must be very wealthy. It would not be easy to train and arm so many men."

Takeshi's sharp eyes narrowed at the information broker and Izaya felt as though he were being strangled by the gaze. "Wouldn't Trinidad be financing them personally?"

Izaya swallowed hard and tried to regulate his breathing as he answered. "That would have crippled him financially. Besides, he must have had some inside contacts if he managed to catch the Floris and find out where the Varia fortress was."

Takeshi's eyes widened at that. Was Izaya saying they had _traitors_ in their ranks?

The skylark scowled at this thought. "Find out the others involved in this."

A _PING_! sounded off from the laptop before his words even finished and Izaya hurried over to it to check on the mail notification that popped up on his screen. Takeshi couldn't see what was written on the header but the information broker opened it immediately and started reading it in front of them. And then he grinned.

"Looks like I wouldn't have to," Izaya straightened and looked Hibari in the eye. "CEDEF has ordered all Vongola related connections to stay out of Chrome Dokuro's way unless she allows them."

Takeshi's brow furrowed in confusion but Hibari's eyes cleared in understanding.

"Where is she?" the skylark asked, his earlier calm seemingly returning somewhat.

"In Venice," Izaya supplied, his grin seemingly maniacal. "You should get ready. If her reputation precedes her then Vongola will once again hold a large emergency meeting for all its Guardians."

Hibari frowned in displeasure before throwing down a plastic purple card that had a golden stripe running vertically across it on the coffee table; the crest of the Vongola embossed on the middle made Takeshi realize it was the specialized disposable access card with a pre deposited amount that he had seen was used quite often by the other Guardians on pay offs. The accounts were used were all dummies and untraceable back to the Vongola. He had heard from Hayato once on the rare occasion that he had managed to visit Italy that it was requested by Chrome a few years back to make it easier for the Vongola and its contacts to deny any connections with each other. He thought it was really smart.

"You know the drill," the Cloud Guardian began as he turned away, walking ahead of Takeshi towards the apartment door. "Any information you have in your hands that relates to the Vongola are to be sent to Foundation and destroyed after that. And if any of this leaks out… your life will not be worth living."

Takeshi followed Hibari, pleased at the chalk white complexion they left Izaya in despite the condescending smirk on his face. Silently he followed Hibari down the stairs of the building and when they reached the ground floor, he decided to break the silence.

"So, when do we go Italy?"

Hibari spared him a cold glance, frowning at the intrusion to his thoughts. "What do you mean?"

Takeshi smiled predatory and sharp; trying to keep his killing intent down so as not to excite Hibari's bloodlust any further. "Surely you would want to hunt down whoever it is that is betraying us, Hibari-san?"

"To hunt down prey, one must find out who the prey is." The skylark replied stoically, his strides lithe as ever.

The baseball player blinked at this. "So? Don't you want to find out who they are?"

"That is not necessary at the moment." Hibari huffed, exiting the building.

Takeshi was so surprised at this that he stopped walking and gaped at the skylark. He couldn't believe Hibari just turned down the opportunity to shed some blood. When he realized he was being left behind he practically jogged right after the older man. "Really? Why?"

"Dokuro will have that information at the next meeting." Hibari replied even as he entered the car door Kusakabe had already opened for the steel eyed Foundation Boss.

Takeshi blinked in incredulity and incomprehension as he watched the black car drive away.

Did Hibari just imply that since Chrome was on the job that it was already done…?

/*****/


	19. Chapter 19

**Title:****Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme:****Scars**

**Inspiration Song for Story: ****Scars by Papa Roach**

**Pairing: X96**

**A.N.: **Hi guys, please don't kill me, okay? I just came down with a big chunk of writer's block and you guys have no idea how much this chapter displeased me. No matter how many times I rewrite it I just can't seem to make it do what I want it to do. Also my job has become very demanding and needs quite a bit of my concentration. Finally I just said to heck with it and I'm posting it now. My apologies if it's not the usual standard.

I'm also sorry that I can't post my usual individual thanks to all the wonderful, beautiful people who reviewed this story. To be honest your reviews helped guilt trip me into posting this chapter this way. I DO hope you'll forgive me.

Indy-chan Izaya from last chapter _was_ for you. I truly hope you will forgive me for disappearing on you like this. I struggle to fight off writer's block for you, my dear.

To the rest of my readers I cannot say enough sorries for the long wait but please enjoy anyway.

Also, after the revelations at Tsuna's birthday I'll be posting the First chapter of the second book for Between a Kiss and a Lie: Ryohei for killer0meganeko. Because she's my friend.

To everyone else asking to have Dino or anyone else as the protagonist alongside Chrome as the second book I'll probably try to do a one shot. _Try_ being the figurative word here because I suck at one shots.

Thank you very, very much to all of you who are still reading this story. o(-_-)o

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Please Enjoy! ^_^v**

**Chapter 19**

"Boss, are we really just going to let that Mist Witch do as she pleases?!"

"What about Boss Xanxus?! I can't believe he is even counting that woman as a part of Varia!"

"Do you think he is thinking about replacing Boss Mammon with her?!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Boss Mammon is one of the Arcobaleno, the Boss would never choose such a weakling over someone holding that title!"

"Shut up!"

All members of the Sulis Famiglia fell silent in the face of their Boss' order.

"Boss Xanxus is not a fool," Gennaro growled at his subordinates even as his eyes watched the Varia boss. The scarred Italian's smoldering eyes trained on every move the female Mist Guardian made as though to make sure she didn't disappear again. "If he is keeping her around then she must be of _some_ worth to him. As much as I would like to put her in her place I think it would be better if we just wait until she humiliates herself in front of the Boss and then we can go on ahead and relieve her of command."

At that his subordinates settled into an unsatisfied silence and Gennaro's eyes switched over to the Varia Boss' form once more. What he saw there was so unbelievable that it was all he could do not to start twitching in incredulity and calmly deflect his subordinates' concerns.

He and a number of his famiglia had stood witness to the terrible sight of Xanxus blowing up the bullet proof glass of the suite they had given him the moment he had noticed she was gone. He had only ever heard of his feared reputation but seeing it up close was a different matter all together. His Wrath was truly a glorious sight to behold.

Now contrary to appearances Gennaro Sulis was _not_ a stupid man.

As a Mafia Boss' son he had always known the expectations that have been laid across his shoulders by the father he had inherited the Family from. Seeing as his two older brothers had shown absolutely no signs of wanting to continue the Family business and instead preferring ordinary civilian life he had taken it upon himself to excel in everything that was needed to qualify for the position of Boss.

He had graduated middle school and high school at the top five percent in his class. Had finished college with a Masters and a Bachelor in Economics and Law. He had picked mixed martial arts as a way to defend himself and inspire fear and respect among members of his Family, allies and enemies alike. Also, because of his talent in finances even though their Famiglia was but a minor organization that served the Vongola like the Bovino they received a special kind of accolade from the Main Famiglia itself. Gennaro was a hard core traditionalist and prided himself with serving only the best; and because of this traditionalist mafia attitude he swore allegiance to Xanxus.

Xanxus was the classic model of power. If Mafia had a form he believed it would be the Ninth's youngest son. Fire, charm, arrogance, skill, intelligence, ruthlessness… the man had _everything_ the mafia needed. The fear he inspired with just his mere presence was the thing of legends the kind that have not been seen since the Secondo. In short, he was the Sulis Famiglia's ideal of power.

And this was why he will never accept the current Vongola Decimo.

The Vongola Decimo— Sawada Tsunayoshi— was always spoken of in sneers within the Sulis Famiglia. That boy's tendency to speak before he acted was something most of them held in disdain. Gennaro had always wondered how in the world the Vongola retained their respectability despite all that. Even his Guardians were a waste of space if he were to base this little girl who was acting like such a damn big shot.

He glanced at the woman right now; the woman was making sure that the only subordinate he had with any sort of medical training was stitching the Boss up. How Xanxus ended up wounded Gennaro couldn't even begin to guess but there was one thing he was sure of and that was the fact that it could not have been done by this woman.

Chrome Dokuro was merely a shadow as far as Gennaro was concerned and he was sure he was not the only Mafia Boss in the alliance that thought the same way. She merely existed under the benevolence of the godly Rokudo Mukuro and nothing more. She was nothing but a mere decoration that served as Mukuro's front in the Vongola as far as Gennaro was concerned. No better than a damned civilian. Gennaro hated the weak just as much as Xanxus did. They were such a burden to the Famiglia.

So _why_?

Gennaro wasn't blind; he had _seen_ the way Xanxus was looking at the woman. He had never seen Xanxus look at anything or anyone else in that way before. He was not really sure but if Xanxus were any other person he would think he was eyeing Chrome Dokuro with _longing_. The memory of Xanxus' face when he realized she was missing flashed through Gennaro's face and made him grit his teeth even as he shuddered in terror. For a moment there back at the villa when the Varia Boss suddenly realized she was missing he almost looked— dare the minor mafia boss say it— _panicked_. Which was impossible because Xanxus panicked over _nothing_. It was impossible because the only thing that mattered to Xanxus was _power_. A woman like this… she was not even worthy of breathing in the same air as the scarred Varia Boss. She was much too soft; much too bland, much too fragile to even be seen floating around the fire that was Xanxus. If she didn't watch herself she would be burned. Like a moth to a raging bonfire.

_What a weak, insignificant woman…_

"I've already confirmed the location of the target."

Gennaro and the rest of his subordinates all glared at the female Mist Guardian's back. In between eyeing Xanxus' mini surgery it would seem that she had been scanning the Hotel Violino d'Oro from the dark alley they were hiding in; watching the patrons come and go and people from random places pass by from the shadows.

"Judging from the amount of security he has it seems he wanted to keep the meeting with the Decimo discreet." She continued, ignorant of their hostility or just plain uncaring. It was hard to know what with the damned blank look on her face. "The plan needs to be simple and undetectable; I'll go in myself."

"Not without me you're not." Xanxus growled at her gruffly, glaring at her with eyes that seemed to smolder with a violent heat; shoving the medic aside roughly and ignoring the fact that his stitches was barely complete.

Gennaro nodded at this and stood straighter. It was only expected of the Varia Boss. Xanxus was probably worried that she would screw the mission up.

Instead of cowering like he had expected, however, Dokuro surprised the Sulis Boss by turning back towards Xanxus and meeting his gaze with her own. What was even more shocking was the complete lack of fear on her face.

"But… you should get treated!" Dokuro replied, even taking a step towards the Varia Boss, the concern in her gaze startling in its intensity. "Are you forgetting you're wounded?"

Xanxus merely looked down his nose at her like a king giving a peasant her due. "Whose fault did you think that was?"

Dokuro flinched at that and for a moment she looked away in guilt. Gennaro and his men, however, felt their jaws drop to the ground in incredulity.

Chrome Dokuro actually managed to _wound_ Xanxus? _What the hell?_

"I know that," she finally spoke again, her eyes still on the ground. "So please, to compensate for my disrespect, allow me to finish the job, Xanxus-sama; I promise I will not fail you."

Xanxus scowled down at her. "…This is nothing."

"No," she reached over with a free hand not holding her trident and laid a gentle palm on the scarred man's uninjured shoulder. Gennaro had wanted to shoot her right then and there for daring to touch the boss but stopped when Xanxus grasped her slender wrist in his hand and seared his glare on her face. Still, though, she did not back off. "I can't have you moving around in this condition! Please return to the villa with Signore Gennaro and the others I wil handle everything else."

"Shut up and move; you're wasting time, woman." Xanxus stubbornly refused but the Sulis boss did not fail to note the lack of heat or anger in his voice or in the eyes that still stared at the female Mist Guardian.

"Xanxus-sama, _please_," Gennaro's eyes shot up his hairline at the desperate plea in her voice. "I'm begging you; please look after yourself a little more! I can't stand seeing you like this!"

Gennaro had to shake his head and blink a few times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He had never heard of _any_ woman talk to Xanxus like that. Not even the whores they paid to bed him or escort him anywhere had the audacity— the _sincerity_— to call the Varia Boss out on his wellbeing. Levi and Lussuria were probably the only people vocal enough to beseech Xanxus in a way that did not involve begging for their lives. As far as he knew no one dared because Xanxus was— well— _invincible_.

Just like now.

"These fucking shitheads have been messing with me and mine for long enough. I want to be involved in every second of suffering they'll go through. Anyone who gets in my way will have to shoot themselves and die before I do it for them," the scarred Italian grabbed the woman's collar and held her close before hissing the words at her face. "And that includes you."

He wasn't going to budge and Gennaro saw the realization painted on Dokuro's face the moment that fact hit her even as the Varia Boss pushed her roughly away. Gennaro felt relieved and smugly exchanged smirks with his subordinates. Xanxus would never be so weak as to let a mere woman tell him what to do.

Another woman would have nagged and pushed the issue or even would have turned the water works on to get their way. Most would be frightened and cry and flee which what Gennaro was expecting her to do… but Dokuro merely stepped back sadly and tried to stifle the worry in her gaze.

"I'll make this quick, sir," she promised sincerely as she met Xanxus' gaze again determinedly before turning away and leading them out of the alley. "Please stay close."

They watched her twist her wrist inward in a curiously seductive motion. It reminded Gennaro of a Japanese tea ceremony he had once attended during a business trip in Futami. It had always been a mystery to him how those geisha managed to make a bared wrist so damned sexy. Were all Japanese women trained from birth to entice in such a subtle way?

"Keep walking, please. Make sure that Xanxus-sama is safe."

Gennaro blinked at her instruction and looked around him to see what she had done after her initial order even as he tried not to growl at the implication that he would neglect Boss Xanxus' safety. When he saw nothing different he scowled at the showmanship, wondering what it was she thought she was doing? It was not until they arrived in front of the hotel that he realized exactly what she had done.

People were passing their group by as though they were not there at all. They walked into the hotel through the front door as though they were merely a breeze visiting inside the building without bumping into any of the guests or hotel personnel as though there was an invisible line drawn against their group and the world. Not one of the considerable hotel security even shot them a glance. She had erected an invisible mental force field that hid them completely from the senses of other people.

Gennaro _refused_ to be impressed.

Boss Mammon would have done it ten times better.

He chose to ignore the fact that there were only a handful of illusionists in the world who could have managed such a feat.

Gennaro looked her over again.

She was beautiful he would give her that; but that was all she had going for her. He could buy her kind at just about any high class brothel in Italy. Hell, he could buy Xanxus a dozen of her in a heartbeat if the Varia Boss requested it. So why was the scarred Italian keeping her around? And letting her hold such authority? And even acknowledging her as a _Varia officer_? As talented as he was Gennaro would have qualified for at least a common position in the Varia but to be considered an officer of that elite group would mean you were one of the best of the best and nothing about this woman was exceptional. No, there must be some mistake here, something big he was missing. Because Xanxus would never accept someone so weak.

"I'm making us visible again; please brace yourselves."

Again, it was the only warning she gave them before she flicked her wrist. It was only then that Gennaro noticed that they were already in the hallway leading up to the VIP suites and that they were now staring at five suited bodyguards who— being warned by her voice— were already pulling out their weapons. Even as Gennaro tried to tell himself to move, the shock made him slow. All he could think about as he saw the barrel of an M60 aimed straight for his face was that _he was going to die_.

But there was an indigo flash and the glint of silver and suddenly Chrome Dokuro was walking over five now frozen bodies as though they were wax statues.

"W-what happened…?" Gennaro heard his right hand man stutter somewhere behind him but even if he could find his voice at that moment he wasn't sure he would be able to answer the question. "What's going on? Why aren't they moving?!"

"They're trapped inside their minds right now; they won't be able to move until I release their consciousness," was all they got from her as she moved to the VIP suite not even sparing his panicked subordinates so much as a single glance. "Please make sure they are unharmed and unmoved."

When his anger _did_ catch up to him, Gennaro angrily ran after the still calmly walking Mist Guardian and grabbed her forearm roughly. "What the _hell_ was that all about?! You almost got us _killed_!"

Instead of cowering as he was expecting, her eye narrowed the slightest inch and Gennaro blinked as a cold kind of dread seemed to leap from her person to his making him step back from her against his will. Gennaro was a large man and it would take a _lot_ for a little woman like this to have even moved him but… she didn't even so much as laid a _finger_ on him and yet it felt as though he had been in _danger_ there for a moment; worse than when he found himself staring down that gun barrel.

"B-boss…? Are you alright?!"

Gennaro blinked and slowly realized he had been frozen in place for quite a while as he stared at the woman staring him down with complete dispassion.

_Shit!_

"Boss!"

"I-I'm fine! Let go!" Gennaro shook off his subordinates' helping hands and stood up on his own albeit still shaky. He felt moisture on his brow and he swiped at it irritably with the back of his hand and was startled to find he was practically sweating icicles.

"Boss, are you sure you're alright?" his right hand man asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I said I was, didn't I?!" Gennaro couldn't help but snap, trying to cover up the fact that his knees were still shaking.

"Everyone," her soft voice resounded in the hallway making her sound as though she was speaking directly beside their ear. It sent ice skittering down the Sulis Boss' spine and he stood there frozen like a centuries' old rock. _What the hell was going on?_ "I need this hallway secured. Make sure no one passes through here. If anyone asks, you're the senator's personal security."

Gennaro barely registered her footsteps as she began to walk away, his shoulders never softening until Xanxus walked by him to follow her and shot him a glare. "Do what she says, trash."

The stunned man jumped and turned to Xanxus so fast he thought he would have whiplash but the Varia Boss was already walking after the female Mist Guardian in his usual confident gait.

The Sulis Boss swallowed hard wondering what was happening to him. If he didn't know better he would have thought that he was feeling… _fear_. But that was impossible! What was she? 5'3"? And he could probably lift her like a damned feather. How could she have possibly made him back off like that?

"What's going on, Boss?" his right hand man was now frowning up at him. "You're acting weird all of a sudden."

"Shut up and do what the damned woman just said. We cannot leave that woman alone with Xanxus-sama," Gennaro replied shakily, his eyes still on the corner both flame users have disappeared into. "That woman is… That woman can't be left alone with Xanxus!"

His right hand man was now staring back at him in disbelief. "Boss Gennaro, this is just Chrome Dokuro. What could she possibly do to someone like Boss Xanxus?"

"Enough! Guard the damn hallway; I'll be following after them and make sure the Boss is safe!"

Gennaro almost tripped all over himself as he ran after the Varia Boss and the Mist Guardian leaving his subordinates to stand guard as the female Mist user had ordered. An excited sort of fear running cold in his veins made the Sulis Boss pale despite himself and his palms continued to sweat ice. He needed to see what was going to happen next. That woman… There was something about_ that woman_! What was it?

_What was she?_

He had reached both flame users in time to see them enter the VIP suite. And from there everything happened with such blinding speed Gennaro nearly thought he had gone mad.

When he arrived he saw Xanxus and the woman standing in the room of the rather luxurious suite. The first thing on Gennaro's mind was a sarcastic quip about the taxpayer's money being put to good use. And then a stocky older man dressed in nothing but a bathrobe and some rather lavish gold jewelry came in from the bedroom seemingly headed straight for the wet bar.

"How could the Vongola Decimo cancel an appointment with me?" he was mumbling. "Who did he think he was?! I'll have him pay for this!"

Gennaro had no love for the Vongola Decimo but he was loyal to the Vongola through and through. He had half a mind to scatter the fool's brains all over this room. He was already reaching for the Desert Eagle he kept in a holster underneath his suit when he was stopped by Dokuro's voice.

"I apologize Signore Gennaro, but we have no time for that."

Startled, the politician turned towards them so fast he stumbled down the carpeted floor. "W-who are you?!"

Xanxus leaned against the wet bar in the rather luxurious suite to pour himself a drink while Chrome Dokuro stood at his side as though standing guard over him. Now that Gennaro was watching for it, although she looked neutral and easily overcome there was an aura around her that warned off everyone else; dared everyone else to come close. Gennaro cannot pretend it was a trick of the mind anymore, there was no mistake.

This woman was dangerous.

She wasn't like this earlier when she arrived at the villa. Wait; there was that split second in the villa before she suddenly disappeared on them and Xanxus followed her out in a rage. Her presence seemed to drown in the much larger presence of the scarred Italian she was guarding and a realization slowly unveiled within the minor Mafioso boss' mind.

Has it always been like this for her? Had she remained under the radar of most people for so long because her presence was so easily hidden, so easily overwhelmed by the larger than life forces around her? If so then what was she truly capable of…?

Gennaro turned awed eyes at Xanxus. As expected of the Varia Boss. He should have known that only the great could recognize greatness.

Paulo Dela Torre was wobbling in the presence of the Varia Boss, looking like he was ready to piss in his pants. The stocky old politician was trying his best to smile pleasantly at the scarred man standing in his suite and consuming his alcohol as though he owned the place.

"X-_xanxus_," the senator began. "I-I wasn't expecting you! H-how can I be of service to the Varia?" the old man began. "A-are you planning to join me and the V-vongola Decimo for dinner tonight?"

Gennaro smirked at the reaction, recovering somewhat at the common sight. It was usual for ordinary idiots like these to have such reactions to the presence of such greatness. Xanxus merely ignored the man in favor of the liquor and the Sulis Boss took it upon himself to save his Boss the trouble.

"Don't fuck with us, scum!" the Sulis head growled at the senator even as he aimed a Desert Eagle at the man, gaining the surprised and fearful attention of the Italian politician. "You know why we're here so if you want to live a little bit longer you'll tell us what we want to know!"

The Senator leaned back away from the gun sweating nervously but then continued to smile that dirty little grin. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

Gennaro took a step forward while cocking the safety off his gun and pushing the barrel against the old man's chin. A very basic interrogation tactic. "Oi, oi… Liars get their balls burnt, you know? Or is it your dick you'd like us to cook?"

"Y-you wouldn't!" the senator cried shrilly, staring back at Gennaro with a mixture of terror and arrogance, his legs not able to gather enough strength to get up off the floor. "I-I'm an Italian senator! You touch me and you people wouldn't have a prayer of ever staying in business!"

Gennaro was furious. How dare this potbellied insect lord his position over the Vongola? No one, _no one_ threatened the Vongola! He was tempted to pull the trigger and kill the blasphemous pig right then and there.

However, before he could follow through he found his gun knocked out of his hand by a metal spike that seemingly came from nowhere. It didn't wound him but his hand went numb at the force of the hit. It felt like a minor version of the Strategy Captain's Attaco di Squalo.

"Oi, scum," Gennaro started at the bored growl at his back and swallowed hard when he saw a frowning Xanxus, chin in his hand and narrowing his eyes at him. But what really caught his attention were the collection of Mist coated silver knives floating around him and Dokuro. "I said I wanted him alive."

Gennaro bit his tongue to keep himself from pointing out that _Dokuro_ was the one who wanted the fool alive. He may not have Hyper Intuition but it didn't take a genius for anyone to figure out what Xanxus would do to him if he even dared mumble out that thought.

So Gennaro opted to step back with a bow, still nursing his numb hand. "Please forgive me, sir."

Dela Torre laughed smugly, nervously, instantly gaining their attention. "See?! Even the great Xanxus would hesitate killing me! I'm too important!"

Gennaro glared at the pig. He wished he could skewer the damn bastard while he bleated.

"This is a waste of my time," Xanxus sighed in annoyance before glaring at the meek Dokuro. "You do it."

She looked startled for a moment and stared at Xanxus in utter surprise as though she couldn't believe she was being graced with such an opportunity. But it only lasted a moment before the surprise was replaced by a tender gratefulness that had Gennaro's jaw dropping to the floor a second time that day. He also couldn't but feel envy at the Varia Boss; Gennaro couldn't remember a woman ever looking at him like that before.

"Yes, thank you, Xanxus-sama."

And then she stepped forward and… _changed_.

Gennaro swallowed hard at the sight, questioning his eyes. It was as though she had shed some sort of invisible cloak and took off the mask of meekness she had presented to them at the beginning of their meeting. Instead of the bruised, haunted violet he despised her eye glowed with the bright color of amethyst jewels; all hard and icy and unforgiving. It was as though the very air around her had changed from that soft, soft warmth to something that sucked the breath out of his lungs like the black hole he had imagined her eye to be earlier when he dared grab her. He couldn't believe he had dared touch this deity.

It was like watching a goddess descend in their presence.

Too bad Dela Torre thought it was all just a game. Gennaro supposed the stupidity came with the bloated sense of entitlement inherent in almost all politicians born into old money. Slowly pity seeped in his mind for the politician who was staring at Dokuro as though she were a delicious piece of meat.

"Oh! What a lovely signorina!" Gennaro sneered in disgust as the senator practically drooled at the sight of the dark haired woman. "Such a beauty…! And such milky skin… And violet eyes! How _rare_… How _exotic_! Is she a present for me from the Vongola Decimo? Oh, my dear I shall take very good care of y—"

The dangerous click of a safety being unlocked rang in the room with a deadly echo and the old man paled at the sight of Xanxus, eyes glowing in the near darkness of the dying sun outside the window behind him with his gun pointed right at the old man's head. "Touch her and you'll find yourself splattered all over the wall, garbage. You're already high on my hit list. Go on and defy me; give me a reason to send you back to your family in pieces."

Terror made the Italian senator splutter, his skin turning cadaver white as he tried to make himself look as small as possible in hopes of getting away from the Varia Boss. Xanxus' reputation was feared for a reason and even idiots who knew anything about the mafia at all would be absolutely stupid not to know that the scarred Italian did not make idle threats. Gennaro smirked in satisfaction; but that smirk melted off when _she_ started speaking.

"I apologize in advance," everyone in the room stared at her as though they couldn't help it. She stood motionless an arms length away from the senator, her trident in her hand as she stared at the politician. "Had we more time, this could have been a little bit more comfortable for you, senator."

Gennaro blinked, wondering what she could possibly mean by that but before he could even line up his suspicions, she spoke again. "Do you know about the ancient Chinese ritual Ling'chi, Senator?"

This seemed to relieve the old man and focused all his attention on the beautiful woman; more than willing to entertain and humor her question and not having a clue as to what she was on about. Gennaro paled, however. The Sulis Boss recognized the horrifying word since the method was still being used up to this day. Ancient his ass. He wished the thing had been lost in time.

The Chinese Triads often used it for their traitors.

_No way_, he thought. The Tenth Generation was known to be too soft for such a thing.

Right?

"I can't say I have," the Italian politician replied with a leer even while trying to sound intelligent. "Is it some sort of… ritual they do in bed? Like the Kama Sutra? I can show you a few moves myself."

"Is it really?" Her soft voice then filled the room once again, her hand now raised casually. "Then why don't we compare notes…?"

Suddenly they all found the senator tied to a flaying table, his arms and legs stretched out forming an unholy crucifix; naked save for his underwear, his sudden fear bare for all to see. And then Dokuro walked up to the shocked looking man with a whittling knife in her hand. It was akin to being teleported to a whole different universe. One that seemed to have awoken from the depths of a horror movie.

Gennaro could only stare in shock as she grabbed one of the silver knives still floating around her and started flaying the skin off the politician's pectorals with loving slowness. Everything was quiet…

That was until the old man started screaming.

**/*****/**

Sawada Tsunayoshi started violently all of a sudden and for a moment he swore his heart had stopped beating. For a full minute all he did was stare at the near blinding whiteness of the table cloth in front of him until a soft, bell-like voice nudged him awake.

"Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna blinked before turning his warm brown eyes at his fiancée. "Did you hear someone say something just now, Kyoko-chan?"

"Eh?" The beautiful redhead sitting across from him tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What are you talking about, Tsu-kun?"

A restless expression appeared on the Vongola Decimo's face for a moment before he forcibly allowed a charming smile to stretch over his lips. "It's nothing; it must have been my mind wandering off again."

Kyoko shook her head at him fondly, her dangling diamond earrings worn for this special dinner with her fiancé catching the light from the candles on the centerpiece and making them burn like stars against her delicate, pink ears. "What did it sound like? That voice?"

The brunette shook his head slightly and sighed a little tiredly before answering. "It sounded like someone… wishing me sweet dreams…"

Kyoko giggled. "You work too hard, Tsu-kun."

"Not enough," Tsuna shook his head sheepishly as he took a sip from his wine glass. "I don't think I would ever be able to do enough."

Kyoko pouted at this. "Mou stop joking around, you should watch out for your health. After the wedding I want you to get more time to rest."

Tsuna merely smiled at her indulgently before putting a forkful of poached salmon in his mouth.

Hayato shot a glare at the woman his Boss was about to marry; sneering at her for her ignorance. Did she think being Vongola Boss was just like an ordinary office job? Did she think they wouldn't let him rest if they could? Tch. He wanted to tell her off but he knew her flying in from Japan was the only reason why the Tenth had dropped that meeting with Dela Torre so the Vongola Storm Guardian resolved to stay still and bear with her ignorant prattle.

His sneer dissolved when he glanced back at his Boss. Hayato almost had a heart attack when his beloved Boss' head suddenly snapped up earlier and asked Kyoko that question. He had seen that odd expression burn on the brunette's face before without wearing Hyper Dying Will mode and for a moment he was scared. Scared that his Boss was being attacked by an unseen force.

Ten years ago Hayato would have instantly been on the very edge of panic and would have probably dragged a hapless Mafia doctor (i.e. Shamal) and force him to do a complete physical on the Tenth. Time and maturity, however, had taught him that such things are not worthy of the Vongola Decimo's right hand man so he kept quiet. He kept quiet although all he wanted to do was walk over to the brunette's side and ask him if he was alright.

Even as he stood in the shadows of the romantic restaurant his sister had reserved to give the affianced couple some well deserved alone time and the silly redheaded wench chattered about the wedding preparations he could see the well hidden spark of restlessness on the Vongola Decimo's brow. The Hyper Intuition at work. And the most painful part was that he knew just _why_ it was working.

_RIINGGG_!

"Tch," the celadon green eyed bomber took his phone out of his breast pocket and answered it with a sigh, exasperated with the interruption to his thoughts. "What?"

"…Thoust seems to be in a bad mood, Hayato-dono." Basil's voice came through the phone a little uncertainly.

The bomber sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair but kept himself alert for any danger that might befall the couple seated far enough away from him to get some privacy but still near enough for him to protect. "Never mind that, what do you want, Basil? If you're wondering about Dela Torre I already sent Dokuro to take care of him."

"I see… so that was why I could not reach her through her regular line." The sandy blonde CEDEF operative said thoughtfully. "Pardon me but I had sent her a message to not eliminate the senator."

Hayato stopped and scowled in disbelief. "What?! _Why_?!"

"I was wondering if thou hath managed to see the video yet."

"…What video?"

He heard the CEDEF deputy director sigh before continuing to speak. "Methinks it would be best to check thy email, Hayato-dono."

Confused but curious, the Vongola Storm Guardian pulled out his IPhone and used it to open his mail. He saw the message from CEDEF and frowned when he saw an attachment. When he pulled it up and saw it was a link for a video he settled down to watch it. What he saw made his celadon green eyes widen in shock.

"_Fuck_!"

Hayato was vaguely aware that Basil was still saying something but he was too overwhelmed, too shocked that somebody— _anybody_— would do something like this to anyone allied to the Vongola. Particularly people who knew of what the Vongola actually was and capable _of_.

"After accessing this video and knowing for a fact that Chrome-dono was on site I have sent her a message to gain intelligence from Senator Paolo Dela Torre. I apologize if that does not coincide with any of your recent orders."

Hayato scowled at the report he was getting from Basil. He was _not_ happy that CEDEF overturned his orders but judging from what he was seeing now it looked as if the deputy director had little to no choice. Personally, Hayato thought Basil was well justified in his decision to overturn him.

"Hayato-dono? Hello? Are thou still there?"

Hayato wished he had a cigarette at that moment. True, the Tenth had never chided him about his habits and never really minded that he smoked in his office but in lieu of his respect for his Boss he made it a point never to smoke in Tsuna's presence while they were indoors. As it was all he could do was take his phone with him, step out into the balcony further away from the dining couple and take a deep breath of the flowers blooming in that warm October night surrounding the exclusive restaurant his sister reserved in Verona for the Vongola that night. A place well away from Venice. "Yeah, I'm still here, Basil."

Hayato could practically feel the sigh of relief from the CEDEF deputy director at his answer before continuing to speak. "As I was saying, I have already sent Chrome-dono ahead to intercept Senator Paolo Dela Torre for questioning instead of allowing her to do the hit like thou hast ordered out."

"You knew about that?"

"She has a block on her order status log; I know that only happens when thou would give her a Priority One mission. I have had to resort to contacting the Sulis Famiglia who art handling the Family business for us in Venice; I knew it was useless to force a connection through her line and any messages I send might be received too late but I had to try. I was concerned about reaching her too late if I tried contacting thou first." Basil promptly explained.

"…Yeah." Hayato gritted his teeth at the truth of that little detail. "It's fine. It's good that you were able to stop her. Was she able to make it in time, though? You know she works fast, Dela Torre wouldn't have lasted the night."

"The Sulis Family Boss assured mineself that they were able to convey the message in time," Basil replied. "I believe they said something about the greatness of Xanxus and how he managed to get the 'Mist Witch' under control."

"Eh?" the silver haired bomber's brows furrowed at that piece of information. "Xanxus is in Venice with her? That's odd."

"Really? How so?"

"Considering the Varia big wigs don't even get out of bed for no less than a ten million hit I'm surprised Xanxus even considered stepping out of his stupid fort to lynch that bug Dela Torre himself."

"Xanxus-dono has quite a bit of pride and so far most of the major attacks on the Mafia have been centered on the Varia but thou art correct. To showcase his power, he would usually send Squalo instead." Basil agreed with him.

"Che, I guess it's alright," Hayato sneered as he leaned against the balcony surrounded by a vaguely familiar and alluring scent. Without even noticing it the scent calmed Hayato down so he stayed where he was. "Well I guess that's fine. If he was able to stop Dokuro from wiping out Dela Torre on time then that saves us the time of finding another influential contact from La Justicia Pasada who we can interrogate."

"That is true."

"Fine then, just keep me updated on whatever it is she finds, Basil, then we'll work out a plan of sorts and arrange for all the information and verify them before we present them to the Tenth; I'm hanging up."

"Wait!"

Hayato scowled at his phone for a moment before clicking his tongue in annoyance and putting it back to his ear again. "What?"

"I would like to present a protest at the way this information hath not been passed around more freely," the note of reprimand in the CEDEF deputy director's voice made Hayato scowl a little. "Any information Chrome-dono acquires should also be passed to CEDEF."

The bomber furrowed his brows at the tone Basil was suddenly using. "So? Didn't she tell you about it? It's the reason why you found out about Dela Torre, right?"

"Nay, we found out about that when I used our _own_ networks to investigate Paolo Dela Torre and La Justicia Pasada at the same time. Thanks to our information network it led us to notice the videos being posted on public sites where we have finally made the connection."

The Storm Guardian sighed. Basil did not sound too happy. "Alright; so you're telling me she refused you access to her information and you're pissed about it?"

"_Very much so_."

Hayato's scowl deepened. _The fuck was this all about?_ "But she caved eventually, didn't she? You know how she dislikes giving out reports she can't confirm herself so she probably wasn't ready to tell you anything yet."

"True but Chrome-dono merely _refused_ me; Xanxus was the one who _forbade_ it."

Hayato felt his brows fly up at this information but quickly recovered and growled into the phone. "Well that's not something I can help; you _know_ how Xanxus is."

"Hayato-dono, do you not realize what I am telling you yet?" the sandy blonde haired man asked in a quiet tone. "Xanxus is acting as though he _owns_ her."

At first Hayato was confused then his eyes widened in realization making his head whip around to stare at his Boss whose now steady eyes were staring straight back at him questioningly from his seat on the dinner table despite Kyoko's consistent stream of chatter and the answer hit him like a Dying will bullet right between the eyes.

_Oh Lord…_ Hayato closed his eyes again, rubbing the bridge of his nose and scowling. _Please no; anything but this…_ "Relax, Basil, it's probably nothing; she's only staying there until Reborn comes back to get her; Varia might claim her now but it's nothing permanent."

"But mine point is if thoust needeth to get Chrome-dono assigned away from yon Iron Fort then thoust should have sent her to _CEDEF_ not _Varia_."

The silver haired Storm Guardian growled at the scolding tone on the normally gentle man's voice and if he were ten years younger he knew he would be shouting back and threatening Basil with a stick of dynamite up the ass already. But he was not fifteen anymore and if there was one thing that Reborn had emphasized to him while he was being trained as right hand man for the Vongola Decimo it was that good relations within Vongola and all her allies must be a priority; particularly CEDEF and Foundation. Besides, if Basil had the nerve to talk to him like this about any situation regarding Dokuro then chances were he doesn't know anything about the situation she had put them all through while she was staying at the Iron Fort.

Or why Reborn was finally called in to deal with her by ushering her to her exile.

Taking a deep breath to calm down Hayato tore his gaze away from the Tenth's oblivious face and kept his voice in a low growl while answering the other man. "Look, that wasn't my call; it was Reborn's idea, not mine."

"Reborn-dono?" Basil sounded startled, confirming Hayato's suspicions about the sandy haired man's ignorance. "I… I don't understand… Why would Reborn-dono do such a ghastly thing to Chrome-dono of all people?"

"Who knows?" Hayato replied in annoyance. He didn't like talking about _her_; talking about her brought back _memories_. Memories of his _stupidity_; memories of his _incapability_; memories of his own _weaknesses_. He _did_, however remember her advice before she left with Reborn. What he should say to stop people from prying too deeply into her exile. He decided to use it now. "Maybe it's for some sort of training. Being the weakest out of all the Guardians Reborn must have been concerned about her lack of usefulness and decided to train her hims—"

"That is a_ lie_." The bomber's green eyes widened at the sudden cold turn Basil's voice took all of a sudden. Hell, he didn't even know Basil could _do_ cold. Had he not been _the_ Gokudera Hayato he would have been frozen by the ice that trickled in Basil's claim. "Chrome-dono is _not_ weak."

Hayato bit back a curse, realizing his mistake. Of _course_ Basil would know Chrome's strength more than anybody. Dokuro had been trained under _Lal Mirch_; the finest COMSUBIN had to offer and one of the people in charge of keeping CEDEF in top form. Basil had probably been assigned to missions with Dokuro while the woman was being trained by the failed Arcobaleno. There was no way this excuse would have flown and he should have known that already. What was _wrong_ with him today?

"Look, I gotta go," Hayato spoke tiredly into the phone. "Make sure you send me an update about everything that goes on about this, Basil; I'm sure that whatever she'll find she'll send right over to you."

"…Hayato-dono," Basil replied quietly on the other line, frustration trickling clear through the lines. "What in the world is going _on_?"

Hayato clenched his jaws so tightly his cheek jumped at the pressure as he replied. "If you wanna know the truth that badly then go ask _your_ damn Boss about it!"

Dit.

Hayato took another deep breath to try to calm himself down after he hung up but the sight of the night blooming jasmines surrounding him on the balcony of the restaurant tore at his soul. The glow of the restaurant's lights giving the white buds an ethereal silvery radiance like moon beam kisses. The scent soothing him seductively even as he realized what they reminded him of.

_It was all her fault_, Hayato thought even as his angry gaze closed in an attempt at ignoring the innocent flowers around him, a note of sadness echoing in his thoughts.

_It was all her goddamn fault…_

**/*****/**

"Xanxus-sama?"

Xanxus looked up and found the same woman plaguing his mind staring right back at him from the full length bathroom mirror he was stripping in front of.

She was behind him, standing at the bathroom's threshold looking at him with such aching concern that Xanxus had to look away. Was she staring at the scars on his back? What did she think of them? Did he disgust her? Did she think he was ugly too like all the other women who had ever seen him naked? Women preferred smooth skinned men, didn't they?

Xanxus conveniently forgot about the other times when she had seen him half naked. Wasn't it only last night that she had rubbed his back raw of its pains? But this was the reason why he finally let her out of his sight in the first place, right? After they arrived at the Sulis villa and she was distracted with emailing all the information she had gotten out of Dela Torre pig to everyone who should know he slipped away, unable to bear being near her any longer. Not when all he wanted to do at this point was push her down on the floor and punish her. Punish her for acting without his consent; punish her for defying _his_ orders, punish her for trying to _leave him_. Punish her in ways that would leave her screaming his name and begging for more. Mark her skin so every single one of the scum hungrily following her with their filthy eyes would know not to mess with her because she belonged to him. He wanted to shout that fact to the world and fucking burn it so everyone would get the goddamned message that anyone who tries to touch her would experience the same fate.

And that was the unbearable part of it.

He— the great and feared Xanxus— had been so desperately frightened of this woman being taken away from him that he ended up going on a reckless rampage. _While he was fucking sober_. He could picture that son of a bitch of a shark sneering at him in derision.

_And it was all her fault. _This woman staring at him such a caring gaze.

"You did an acceptable job earlier," he replied gruffly as he tried to busy himself inspecting the wound through the mirror, still avoiding her damned worried gaze and trying defiantly to drown his thoughts in anything but her. "Who would have thought you would know how to administer the 'Death by a Thousand Cuts'? They say it takes about three thousand cuts before a person actually dies of shock due to blood loss; you got that pig confessing after about three."

She didn't reply. Instead he heard her move and after a few moments he was stunned into immobility at the feel of her fingers lightly touching his naked back. When had she become bold enough to touch him so freely? Following that swiftly was elation at the thought that her willing touch meant he did not disgust her. He clenched his teeth at the leap his fucking heart made in his goddamned chest.

"Let me see."

Xanxus lost the ability to move or think; his heart pounded in his chest in heavy, excited beats despite him mentally snarling at it to shut the hell up. His body suddenly felt like it had gone tight as a fucking tightrope even as she smoothly moved between him and the mirror, leaning against the latter to get a better look at the wound on his shoulder since he wouldn't budge from where he was standing.

She was so close that he could smell the scent of her hair. Her touch felt warm and loving as she carefully slid the tips of her fingers around his wound as though afraid she might hurt him even with the smallest of pressures. He would have laughed at her for that. For her to touch him as though he was fragile glass. Yes he would have laughed if her delicacy had it not sent his breath stranded somewhere in his throat. He couldn't remember anyone else touching him in such a manner. His mother had stopped touching him the moment he was capable of dressing himself, the maids back when he was a child were careful not to hurt him but even their touches were cold and impersonal... This one though… it told him he mattered. It was as though he was someone she considered precious. And if he allowed his imagination to run just a _little_ bit wildly he could almost convince himself that she was trying to seduce him…

"Doesn't it hurt?"

He couldn't trust his voice not to quiver at the sight of so much tenderness directed at him so Xanxus stayed silent. All he could do was watch her; wait for her; wish for her to do… God, _something_. Something _more_ than look at him. Something _more_ than fucking touch him so tenderly he wanted to _break_ himself into tiny pieces. He wanted her so violently, so achingly his senses screamed at him to crush her, break her, _destroy_ her. He wanted her soul under his feet and still have her look at him like this.

Look at him like he was her whole world…

She lifted her gaze to his and that goddamned concern in her eyes melted the last of his hold on his iron willed defiance. He had to swallow hard a few times; staring at her unblinking before he could mutter a reply. "It's nothing Lussuria can't fix."

She nodded her acceptance softly, silently... Before her gaze dropped to his shoulder once more… and focused on his naked chest. Xanxus wondered if she was aware of how rapid its rise and fall had become. She made it so damned hard to _breathe_. And the fact that he knew that she could relate and understand each and every one of his scars made it impossible for him to push her away or turn away from her like he normally would anyone else. They shared this. Knowing that they both had scars on their minds and bodies made Xanxus feel more intimate with her than any other person he had ever encountered in his life. Just one touch and his traitorous soul opened up to her against his own will. She touched him with curious familiarity and he wasn't shoving her away because having her do so made him feel like he belonged to her. And there was nothing he could fucking _do_ about it because it _felt_ right.

"This…" her fingertips lightly grazed an old scar right under his left breast. The sad understanding in her gaze told him she recognized the kind of wound it was. A scar made by a lit cigarette on tender skin. "Was it something Lussuria-san couldn't fix in time…?"

"It's an old one," Xanxus replied gruffly, wanting to look away but also wanting to know what she thought about his disfigured form. "Shortly after I turned eleven."

There was no judgment or disgust on her face; only a sad compassion that made him loosen a little bit more. "You were taken in by the 9th when you were ten."

Xanxus couldn't lie to her even if he wanted to. She had tied an invisible thread of truth around his tongue and made him reply with a quiet but honest hesitation. "He had three older sons and a 'cheated' wife. Did you think she'd just allow a fucking bastard like me to run around the mansion doing whatever the fuck I wanted?"

She bit down on her lower lip hard, her hand gliding down at his side at another old wound. One left by a riding crop. Xanxus found himself unable to deny her unspoken question, fascinated by how she seemed to be sharing his pain through her every mark she touched. "I 'accidentally' got in the way of Enrico's riding crop while we were on a hunting party. Fucking fell off my horse and broke a leg."

She flinched as though reliving the event in her mind. Xanxus vaguely remembered Mammon saying that illusionists had excellent imaginations. Chrome would probably relive his pain accurately in her mind. He was besieged with the desire to hold her close and give her comfort... The way he needed it back then during the actual incident even though he had resolved never to show such weakness that time. Even though he swore he would never let Enrico have the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

"…They were cruel to you." He heard her heartbroken whisper.

Xanxus felt it leave a little sting in his chest at hearing such sadness in her voice for him. He almost regretted telling her about it. Almost.

"Enrico was a mean son of a bitch; he beat me up whenever he knew could get away with it. Used to love to tie me up in the stables and whip the shit out of me," Xanxus found himself saying in an oddly quiet tone, surprised he was even opening these details up to someone else when not even his most trusted subordinates knew how his life as the 9th's 'pampered' youngest son had been. He tried to tell himself to shut up but he couldn't. Fucking hell but he _wanted_ her to know. He wanted her to be his judge and jury because he knew that if it was her doing the judging he would be punished fairly. "Massimo just went along with whatever Enrico did. Held me down and laughed while Enrico beat me into a bloody pulp. The idiot wasn't really very bright; a born bitch, that one. Their mother just encouraged them and always reminded them not to hit me in the face. The old man might notice, after all.

"Federico was never touched me but… he was too much like the old man. He just took one look at what they were doing to me before turning around and walking away. He didn't hate me but he didn't particularly care about what happened to me either. Out of the three of them he was the one I hated the least. He was the first one of the three of them to die. When his bones were found their mother got so fucked in the head she killed herself shortly after the funeral. Just goes to show how shitty things were back then."

She was silent all throughout his narration but when she spoke; her voice was so soft it was hardly even a whisper. "…Did Nono never know?"

"I'm sure he suspected something but what could he do?" the scarred Italian sneered a little at the memory of his adoptive family. "If he showed me anymore favor he would be setting the Vongola up for a coup. I was supposed to be the street rat he sired from a whore he fucked in a moment of weakness and he had three strong older sons by his legal wife; favoring me would throw the Family into chaos. All he could do was make sure I was given the best of everything money could buy. The best education, the best clothes, the best bodyguards. I fucking took advantage of it all. By the time I turned thirteen I can beat Enrico bloody. I would have loved to have killed him myself when I tried to take over Vongola; too bad the idiot had to get himself killed in that feud."

Her hand had been still as he spoke and was laying flat on the center of his chest. She was silent for such a long time he thought she had fallen asleep against the mirror she was leaning on. But then she spoke again and her soft words hit him like a sudden punch in the face.

"And now… I've added to your scars… I'm one of the people who hurt you…"

She sounded so miserable about it too. Xanxus thought it ironic. Any other person who knew him would have said those same exact words with pride. Apparently the woman didn't view the wound she inflicted on him as something she should be happy about. Xanxus couldn't decide whether he should be offended or glad.

He watched as she attempted to collect her composure and stood before him with a formal expression on her face, looking as though she were preparing for another battle. The change was so sudden it made him blink in confusion.

"I already have the names of all the political figures involved in this incident, they match the list I made with Belphegor before he left the fortress last time; it would be easy to take them down; the military organizations are all privately owned including La Justicia Pasada," she continued and Xanxus decided right then and there that he did _not_ want her talking to him so formally. He should talk to her about that. "The three allied Famiglia involved are still a mystery but I'm sure Hibari-san will see to that once he receives my report."

Xanxus' brow furrowed at the name, remembering the brat who dared stand up to him both times they were allowed to battle. He smirked when he remembered how the brat had the balls to tear Gola Mosca apart and how the impudent younger man challenged him all by himself during the Battle of the Arcobaleno Representatives.

"Knowing Hibari-san it would only be a matter of time before he comes up with the names and a way to deal with them," Dokuro kept on talking, her eye refusing to meet his, still formal despite her hot blush.. "He's really good with things like that. I… I will request to remain with Varia until I am sure you are all absolutely safe from them."

He froze at those words, his eyes widening as he stared at the top of her head.

What the hell was she saying? _Was she going to leave?_

Something cold and empty swept over him at the very idea. It was the same sensation that swept over him when he realized she was gone earlier. It was like someone punched through his chest and took out his fucking heart. The very thought of her not being in the fortress left him feeling _hollow_.

"I am so sorry." She whispered into the silence between them and then she moved to leave; trying to slide off to his right side to get away from between him and the mirror.

Before Xanxus could think and before she could escape he blocked her way with his wounded shoulder knowing instinctively that she would not struggle for fear of hurting him. Surprised, she looked up and met his eyes and the scarred Italian vaguely wondered when the hell he had gotten so close to her that just a little tilt of his head would brush the tip of his nose against hers. At this distance he knew that if he nuzzled close enough then he would finally be able to taste her slightly parted lips. His mouth went dry just thinking about it. Would they taste as delicious as they looked?

_God _he wanted to know.

"What the _hell_ did you mean by that just now?" he began; his voice quiet and hoarse as he stared deep into that single amethyst eye even as his thoughts ran full circle and his heart beat so loudly it was a wonder no one was sounding the fucking alarm yet. "That you'll request to remain with Varia _until_ you're sure we're all safe bullshit?"

Her lower lip trembled and she looked so helpless that Xanxus almost groaned in desire. Did she know she was driving him insane? She must have an idea; right? How could someone be so fucking seductive and not even freaking _know_ it? It should be fucking _illegal_.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

The scarred man gritted his teeth at the way she reverted to her damned training. He wanted to find Lal and strangle the bitch's neck. That or tear a hole in the wall beside her head.

"Just get it the fuck out!" He snarled at her. "I don't want to hear you talking like that idiot Levi in front of me!"

"I already caused you so much trouble," she started, her voice shaking a little, her gaze on his bandaged wound. There was no fear in her, not even a twinge. All he could read from her face was guilt and pain. "I… I don't even know how I can make this right."

Xanxus frowned. "This shit is _nothing_. Or have you forgotten that I almost lost a goddamn arm back in the Arcobaleno battles?"

She attempted to step away from him, trying to make him see sense. "Can't you see? I'm _dangerous_! Who knows what I might do to you next time?"

Xanxus snorted. "Woman, do you even _understand_ just who you're talking to?"

"But _this_—"

"Shut up." He cut her off and caught her already bruised neck in his left hand forcing her to look up at him. "You are _not_ leaving."

She refused to back down. "I _failed_ you. I don't deserve to remain by your side."

"And who the _hell_ gave you the fucking right to decide something like that, huh?" he growled back at her.

She pursed her lips defiantly at him and Xanxus watched them tremble; furious and loving how stubborn she was. Damn Vongola Guardians and their naïve sense of fairness and justice. Xanxus couldn't help but brush his thumb under her lower lip with a tenderness he didn't even know he possessed. He watched her expressive gaze widen a bit in confusion and her lips slightly part in surprise.

Damn it.

Xanxus wished he could stop staring at her.

It would be so much easier; so much _simpler_ if he could just keep on being angry with her. He was sure he would be able to do that if he could just _fucking stop staring at her_. But the thought of her leaving was just too unacceptable; he refused to even contemplate it. The sight of the new bruises around her neck borne from his own hands made his chest scream with a possessive roar that echoed in his blood.

_Mine_.

He didn't care if she didn't mean it anymore, there was no point denying the inevitable and he was tired of denials. No one else will take this woman from him. He had already decided right then and there and _damn_ the world to hell and back.

She was _his._

Ring ring ring.

The sound of his celphone ringing at the sink where he had temporarily abandoned it made her jump in surprise and away from him and distracted Xanxus from his prey. Her cheeks had become a charming red and confusion made her that much more frustratingly desirable.

Damn her.

He would have ignored the call if it weren't for the fact that the shitty shark and his other scum bucket subordinates wouldn't have dialed his number if it wasn't an emergency. He was forced to release the woman and answer the damned phone, his crimson eyes never leaving her face as he spoke to the person on the other line.

"This had better be important, you mother fucking, scrotum sucking, son of a shit sucking whore!" He snarled into the receiver.

"Hullo, Boss~ How are you enjoying Venice~?"

Shit; apparently it _was_ important. He did remember telling the fuckers to keep him updated.

"Start talking, damn it." Xanxus growled back impatiently.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Dokuro stepped away from him, nodded to him respectfully and then leave the bathroom and his room. He also noted that she never lost that determined expression from her face. She had made up her mind.

Xanxus decided that his shitty Sun Guardian was going to fucking _die_.

"Well I just wanted you to know that everything is ready. Everything is all done just as you ordered! I kept it simple and pretty; no sparkling curtains and disco balls but I _do_ wish you'd let me put in that _gorgeous_ Little Mermaid themed nightlight—"

"No."

"But it would look so _pretty_~!"

"I _don't_ fucking care, trash; if you want it that much then buy it and give yourself a handjob with it but you are _not_ fucking touching that thing with my goddamned money."

"Mou~ Oh fine then have it your way, Boss; just so you know you are missing a once in a lifetime opportunity; the thing is at fifty percent off this week."

"I don't fucking care if the queen of fucking England shit it out of her ass, no means no!"

"Boss is so mean~"

"Stick it up your ass, faggot."

"Oh, Boss, that sounds like fun but you _know_ I like it the other way around right?"

"…You wanna die, trash?"

"Ulp. S-sorry, Boss…"

Xanxus gritted his teeth even as his mind replayed the look on her face while telling him that she was leaving after making sure he was safe. His grip tightened around his phone almost crushing it; he could actually hear the faint cracking sound of the LCD screen. Her words just now suddenly reminded him that her services to his group had an expiry date. Despite the loyalty and devotion she was showing him now Xanxus was beginning to remember that she wasn't really his to do with as he pleased. As soon as Reborn or Vongola said anything otherwise she could walk away from him and never look back.

After what happened just now Xanxus decided that that wasn't acceptable anymore.

The beginnings of a scheme started to take form in his mind.

"Hey, shitty faggot." He growled more calmly into his phone, decision made.

"Y-yes, Boss?"

"I need you to get me something from the vaults. And it better be ready and waiting when I get there or I'll fucking buy you that nightlight and shove it down your goddamned throat."

He was going to bind her to him. He'll make sure of it.

She was never going to leave his side…


	20. Chapter 20

**Title: ****Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme: ****Scars**

**Pairing: X96**

**Special Thanks to: **hleexda, redlaama; SimplySinful21; Angelazzy; BlackAngel'sWrath; NyaDC; ariados26. You guys are simply awesome and thank you so much for leaving reviews for me to feed on. I was so happy people are still watching out for this story. I am so honored to have you guys as readers! ^_^v

**Minekoanime**: It was my pleasure, I just wish I could have made you happy sooner by updating quicker; *sob* Thank you so much for leaving a comment and I am so happy you thought the previous chapter was good. ^_^

**sparkling apples**: DAWWWW! *HUG* Thanks so much; I watch out for your reviews, you know? Goodness, I hope your family didn't think you went nuts! Lol

**Guest**: Ehehehee… You'll find out next chapter. Erm… sorry -_-;

**Guardian1992**: *nervous laughter* I am so honored that you left me a comment and I like hearing about the parts you are most curious about. This chapter does not reveal it but I'll blurt that out on the next one, okay? Thank you so much for the review! *BOWS*

**A.N.**: I published this in a hurry trying to beat the deadline so I apologize in advance for the grammatical errors (-_-;)

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Please Enjoy! ^_^v**

**Chapter Twenty**

Squalo glared at the helicopter descending from the evening sky and waited on the newly built heliport of the Varia fortress' roof with his hair flying all around him like a silvery cape. The other Varia officers around him did the same, all wearing their own brands of anticipation and anxiety. He didn't have to look at Bel to see the stupid blonde prince grinning creepily in excitement. He didn't have to look at Lussuria to know that the colorful idiot was practically pirouetting in place. Nor did he have to turn and glare at Levi to figure out how their Boss' self proclaimed dog was practically wagging his imaginary tail at the thought of being reunited with his master.

No, Squalo didn't have to do any of these things and as far as he was concerned, he didn't give a flying fuck, really. Because he was absolutely _not_ relieved that his shitty boss had come back to the fortress in one piece. He would, however, be more than happy to hear the news from Dokuro herself about the dumb idiot who decided it would be a good idea to make an enemy of the Varia. Unlike their idiot of a Boss, he knew he could depend on Dokuro to be more comprehensive and willing to cooperate without a lot of fuss.

The rest of Varia's subordinates have lined up around the heliport to greet the boss back much like they did when they came back from Montalcino only this time, Squalo could see the mix of eagerness and anxiety in their eyes. He could even see some of them sport blushing faces despite the scowls on their ugly mugs. And Squalo knew exactly why.

It had been a tiring project, one he had eagerly taken part in as soon as he found out about it. Hell, even Levi had been quiet while they all worked; even helping carry stuff around. Squalo smirked at that. He never would have thought the bastard would do _anything_ for _anyone_ other than Xanxus but then again the Afro-freak _might_ have another agenda. Well Squalo decided that as long as it wouldn't give him cause to fillet their Lightning Guardian he would let Levi have his way.

His silvery gray eyes narrowed when— instead of striding over to get into the fortress directly like he usually would, the Varia Boss remained at the helicopter's door and held his hand out towards it, waiting for it to be taken. And it _was_ taken a moment later by a rather hesitant Chrome Dokuro.

The silvery haired swordsman's gaping eyes caught Dokuro's violet one for a second as she gracefully stepped down from the helicopter, still looking bemused by Xanxus' unusual display of manners. Squalo couldn't blame her really; if anyone who knew Xanxus saw him like that they would probably at least raise a brow at the action if not lose their jaws entirely. Well as long as its Dokuro Squalo suppposed he had no complaints. The woman had been useful and without her he was pretty sure they would have been screwed ten times over. The least they could do was show her some courtesy.

"Welcome back, Boss!" Levi practically ran forward but instead of tackling Xanxus like he probably wanted to do he stood straight and in attention, his hands behind his back and his feet snappily parted.

"Welcome back, Boss~! And you too, Chrome-chan, my dear~!" Lussuria practically hopped over to the couple and bumped his cheek against Dokuro's. "Oh I am so~ glad you came back home this quick! Just in time for dinner!"

"Ushishishi~ the Prince demands his souvenirs!" Belphegor walked straight up to Chrome and held out a hand imperiously.

They all watched her blink in surprise, clearly at a loss for words before Xanxus suddenly stepped in between her and the blonde like a protective mother bear.

"Scum," the Varia Boss began in a low growl that drew shivers of fear down their spines even as his crimson eyes glowed like bright embers. "Is it done?"

Lussuria lit up like Dubai on New Year's eve as he realized what the question entailed. "Oooh~ I was so~ hoping you would bring that up first, Boss~! Yes, _everything_ is finished!"

Xanxus didn't say anything. Instead, before any of them could have said anything else the scarred man began dragging the surprised and confused woman after himself by the arm without even a glance at anyone else.

Squalo felt a nerve on his temple burst at his abrupt dismissal after his brain caught up with his motor functions and started running after the scarred Italian. "VOIIII! WHAT THE FUCK, XANXUS?!"

The rest of the Varia officers were not far behind.

"Boss!"

"Ushishi! Don't take away the princess!"

"Wait for us, Boss~!"

"Eh...? Xanxus-sama, please wait!" Squalo almost smirked at the borderline panic and confusion in Dokuro's gaze as she met his eyes in a silent plea for help. "But I need to talk to Commander Squalo about the information I sent earlier—"

"It can wait," the silver haired swordsman sighed in exasperation as he and the others stomped after them. "It's not like these turdblooms would be able to calm down enough to leave us in peace anyway; just give'em what they want and they'll leave you the fuck alone."

Squalo saw Dokuro look back at the rest of them with worry in her gaze and the Varia second in command grimaced as his anger at Xanxus' attitude melted like butter on a hot plate at the sight of her sweet concern and he had to look away in an attempt to seem gruff and not like a sheepish idiot. Damn woman was a witch; any other female would have already been cut down by either his words or his sword.

"Xanxus-sama, please wait," Squalo heard her soft voice float over to him like a soft breeze once more. "Your shoulder—"

"Quiet."

"But you promised!"

"...I'll take care of it later."

The gruff, quiet, grudging promise from the dark skinned Italian made Squalo look up and stare at the couple's back with raised brows.

_What the fuck was that all about?_

He tried to get Dokuro's attention again but her concerned gaze were now trained on Xanxus who seemed dead and intent on getting to his destination. And instead of nagging she saw acceptance and complete trust on Dokuro's face before willingly holding on to Xanxus' arm with her other hand instead of having the scarred man drag her along with him as if she was trying to lighten his load. Squalo stopped stomping after them altogether when Xanxus responded to her actions by gently putting his left arm around her shoulders and ushering her forward beside him with such tenderness the silver-haired swordsman felt his jaw hit the floor.

"Oh my~"

"M-maybe the Prince needs to cut his bangs off... He thinks his eyes are being deceived..."

Squalo blinked when the only person who kept on calmly walking passed him was Levi. That in itself just boggled the _mind._ He had expected the idiot afro-freak to be first one to go on a rampage at something like this but the bastard just strolled away cool as you please with a light flush of anticipation tainting his dark cheeks and looking like... like... _he fucking knew something the rest of them had no shitty clue about!_

Also, his shitty boss had yet to take his eyes off the purple haired woman who had yet to shrug out of her deep brown trench coat and Squalo felt something in him breaking at the start of an unbelievable suspicion.

He had known Xanxus since the moment he had decided he would follow the man during his teenage years; had yet to leave him even after he was frozen by the old man and punished for eight long years. That look on Xanxus' face... That grim, determined resolve... He had last seen that when he announced that they were taking over the Vongola. The look was exactly the same but with one notable exception.

The Varia Rain Guardian had never seen that _longing_ embedded within the hate in Xanxus' eyes before.

Squalo glanced at Levi and felt like kicking the damn fucker in the balls as he remembered the last conversation they had about the female Mist Guardian and the silver haired swordsman felt like slapping his face with his artificial hand.

"Son of a fucking bitch." he muttered even as he started walking to follow the trio to their original destination; Bel and Lussuria not too far behind saying nothing as they kept their own observations to themselves.

They stopped before a large tapestry with the Varia insignia situated in a hallway that seemed to lead to nowhere but the roof.

"We're here." Xanxus announced roughly, more for the benefit of the woman still held in his arm than anything else.

Squalo forgot his shock for a moment at the sight of realization entering the female Mist Guardian's face at the sight of the spot.

"Um..." she glanced over questioningly at Xanxus with wide eyed confusion. "I thought...?"

Xanxus just grunted; glaring at the tapestry as though wanting to shove it aside but was reluctant to release her.

Levi- who seemed to have been trying to hold back since they've arrived at the heliport- finally burst and stepped forward passed the couple, throwing the tapestry aside to reveal an open, ebony door gilded with silver revealing the room beyond it.

"Oh... my..." they heard her breathe out at the sight before her.

Being one of the people who made it possible to set the whole place up, Squalo felt his ego properly stroked at her reaction despite the uneasy feeling in the pit of his gut that told him to get Dokuro as far away from Xanxus as possible.

"VOI! What the hell are you waiting for, Dokuro? Get the fuck in there and take a look!" he urged her.

"I— Eh? Me? Why?"

"Why the hell not?" Squalo growled back at her trying to hold back an amused smirk at her confused and blushing face. "What were you thinking? That one of us would be giving up our rooms for you?"

"No, of course not I—!"

"Princesses should live in tower rooms!" Bel hissed behind Squalo while grinning at the woman like a creepy Cheshire cat. "The Prince understands your choice of lodging and deemed it fit to command the peasants to rebuild it!"

"But how did you even know...?"

"Well we sort of-um- happened on it while Trinidad was attacking." Lussuria laughed nervously.

Squalo flinched remembering the details of how they discovered the tower room but said nothing. It was better she didn't know. He didn't think she'd appreciate knowing Bel had desecrated her underwear and what with how Xanxus was at the moment he doubted their Boss would leave the idiotic cackling blonde live.

"Get in there." Xanxus commanded her in a low, gravelly voice, glaring straight down at her confused face gruffly.

Squalo watched Dokuro look up at his Boss without a trace of fear or wariness. There was only a hint of disbelief amidst the awe and curiosity in the amethyst gaze before finally- and incredibly enough- she trustingly nodded her head once with a tiny, little fond smile towards the dark man before stepping inside the newly reconstructed and redecorated room slowly. Squalo and the others eagerly followed her in and stayed at the threshold, each one drinking in every little reaction she gave off.

Squalo already knew what was inside but his eyes swept over the space, now decorated with something more than the illusions they had originally found it in.

The queen sized bed of cream and fuchsia blue sheets and pillows was strategically situated to take advantage of the light that will be coming from the balcony which was now sealed off by a pair of French glass doors.

On the other side of the queen sized bed was a pair of large, comfortable mahogany chairs upholstered in soft, dark cream plush; both large enough to fit two people; a small coffee table engraved with the checks of a chessboard sat in between them. A large, marble finished fireplace was built against the wall behind them.

At the foot of the bed was a door that led to a dressing room where they dropped her bag off. Squalo remembered Lussuria wailing about the built-in cabinets and dressers he commissioned being absolutely empty since Dokuro didn't bother bringing a lot of clothes to the fortress so now those are filled with spare Varia uniforms, boots, tank tops, shorts and a couple of cocktail dresses. There were also spatters of skirts, summer dresses and other frilly things that Squalo just couldn't see Dokuro wearing. There were hair accessories and make up too and the swordsman thought Lussuria was probably just living out his own fantasies rather than making the choices based on Dokuro's welfare. Behind the dressing room door was a full length mirror.

The floor in the dressing room and the bedroom was covered by a thick, soft mahogany carpet. The tiles in the bathroom floor were the same color as the carpet and all walls were decorated with toile de joie wall paper all with the same pattern of night blooming jasmines painted on the dark cream cloth in the same mahogany motif.

Squalo approved of the color choice overall although he doubted Lussuria had anything to do with it. In fact, he knew for a fact that if the effeminate man had his way the whole room would have been doused in pink. That or then assorted colors of the rainbow.

Although he already had a pretty good idea as to who approved of the color motif for the room, the silver haired swordsman thought, stealing a glare from his boss from the corner of his eye.

Beyond the dressing room was a bathroom. With twin sinks, mirrors, toilet and a wide bathtub that might as well double as a Jacuzzi. There was a linen closet in there with white towels and bathrobes as well as a cabinet full of personal hygiene effects all based on the brands Lussuria found in Dokuro's bag.

The lights were chosen meticulously too. A small raindrop shaped glass chandelier on the now painted ceiling that would flood the whole room with light and bright lamps on the delicately decorated wall sconces that mirrored the ones in the hall outside.

It was much more luxurious that any other room in the fortress and Squalo was initially surprised at the amount Xanxus was willing to spend on it. But it all fit for her. For this woman.

It was all worth it as long as it was for her.

They all watched and stayed still at the threshold as Chrome Dokuro moved around the room gently, gracefully. Her fingertips running over the furniture softly as though she were afraid they would break. Squalo (and he was sure every red blooded man in the fortress witnessing this sight) flushed hotly as his dirty male imagination ran wild. The way the woman moved made it so goddamned easy for a man to think of himself under those fingertips...

"You better be grateful, Woman," Levi blurted out at her making the female Mist Guardian turn towards the older Varia officer in surprise. "The Boss spent a pretty penny to make sure this room was— OWWWW!"

He was interrupted when Xanxus kicked him between the legs from behind making their Lightning Guardian fall on the carpet with his behind in the air as he clutched at his crotch crying in pain.

"Oh, Levi-chan~ Please don't stain the carpet or I'll get reaaallly upset~" Lussuria crooned sweetly at the moustachioed man, a dangerous grin on his face.

Chrome merely stared back at Xanxus in disbelief and Squalo was surprised at how she looked their boss directly in the eye without an ounce of fear or timidity. Before they left for Venice she would at least look hesitant around the man but now there was none of the faint uncertainty from before. There was something intimate about it; something familiar. Something he or any of the other Varia Guardians would never be able to share with the enigmatic Varia Boss. An acceptance way deeper than one should hold for someone who would not be around forever in Squalo's opinion.

"Mine...?" she whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear but directed only to the scarred Italian who seemed to be her whole world at the moment, in a tone that told them she couldn't believe it. "But... I don't understand. Why?"

Xanxus said nothing and merely stared back at her searchingly. Looking for what Squalo didn't think he wanted to know.

"It's simple, Dokuro," Squalo finally intervened when it was obvious Xanxus was not going to offer her an answer. "In the Varia you get what you deserve. You earned everything in this room, Dokuro. So just shut up and take it."

Xanxus remained silent and merely stared back at her, his eyes set in an almandine shade. Squalo could not remember Xanxus' eyes looking so calm and content and— so fucking hopeful?— in... _ever_. It's not something an outsider can see but Squalo had been with the dark man long enough to identify it. The sight of it almost fucking hurt and Squalo clenched his teeth against the feeling.

He had had enough of the sight of Xanxus in despair when he found out he couldn't inherit the title of Decimo. the swordsman didn't think he could watch his Boss pine after another thing he can't have. So he continued denying it.

"But you didn't have to; I was happy to help," her cheeks were covered in a soft blush and all the Varia could do was watch in horror as tears began to softly drip from her left eye to trickle down her flushed cheek and hang from her delicate chin. "You shouldn't have had to-"

"VOOOIII!" Squalo cried out, taken aback; waving his sword hand around in panic at the sight. "STOP THAT! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW, GODDAMNIT! IF YOU DON'T LIKE SOMETHING YOU DON'T HAVE TO FUCKING CRY ABOUT IT!"

"Ushishi~ I know; this is the perverted peacock's fault." Bel grinned murderously at Lussuria as he held up a handful of customized knives.

"Oh you boys are so silly," Lussuria chuckled and tried to hide his smirk behind a hand at the glares he had started receiving. "What? Can't you see she's just happy?"

This_ was happy? _Squalo cringed at the sight of Dokuro's slightly trembling lip. He caught sight of the tension on Xanxus' shoulders and the fatal clenching of his fists as the scarred man stared at her face.

_Fuck then they should stop doing shit like this if this was the reaction they would be getting each time_, the Varia second in command thought.

"I'm sorry," she whispered at last, wiping her tears away with a gloved hand and sniffling softly. "It's just... This is too much. Everything here... I'm just... so happy."

Everyone calmed down at her admission little by little, their panic subsiding along with her tears.

"Ushishishi~ What are you talking about, duchessa?" the stupid Prince's tone became a lot more peaceable when he realized the truth behind their Sun Guardian's words. "This is nothing compared to what you truly deserve as someone of royal blood!"

"VOI! Shove it up your ass, she doesn't care about all that royalty bullshit!" Squalo snarled back at the younger assassin.

Belphegor waved a handful of knives at him even as a vein popped in his temple. "Ka-ching~! That's what all peasants who don't know their place say."

Squalo waved his sword back at the blonde. "VOIIIII! You got a problem with that, shitty brat?!"

"DON'T YOU DARE STAIN THAT CARPET! AND LEVI IF YOU DON'T GET UP RIGHT NOW I SWEAR I'LL TWIST YOUR NECK AROUND!" Lussuria squawked at them, the fur on his boa standing on end along with his hair before kicking a writhing Levi in the gut making the man whine like a wounded puppy.

The bickering ended when Xanxus suddenly turned around and started to leave the room. As one, all the Varia officers turned to follow their still silent leader out the door; with Levi practically crawling after the scarred man and Squalo wondering what the hell was going on in his idiot boss' head. They were almost at the threshold when her soft voice stopped them unexpectedly.

"Everyone?"

All of them turned back towards the woman, Xanxus only half looking back over his shoulder at her. Squalo would rather eat his good arm before he would ever admit it but his heart stopped at the sight they turned back to.

They were arrested by the sight of Chrome Dokuro's soft, gentle, grateful smile.

"Thank you..."

Squalo felt his cheeks heating up hotter than before and he mentally cursed himself for it. He didn't think he had ever been thanked so sweetly. Her sincerity vibrated through his very bones and made him twitch at the urge to melt into jelly. He immediately tried to squash it like any other respectable Varia officer would and looked away from her, ready to leave her behind. But when he did he saw the others have yet to free themselves of her spell.

Belphegor wasn't grinning like a psych patient for once; his jaw hanging slightly from his mouth as he stared back at Dokuro.

Lussuria was smiling back at the woman with fond softness.

Levi just crouched there as though he'd been turned into stone. The only thing indicating he was still alive was the dark flush on his own cheeks and Xanxus...

Squalo's eyes widened at the glimpse of such violent want in those crimson eyes as one of the most feared men in the Mafia world stared back at this unbelievable woman.

The swordsman forgot to breathe at the sight. Even after Xanxus turned and started walking away from the room he had to fight to find his breath again but when he did he started rushing after his stupid, shitty boss. He had seen enough to know that he should be worried and it was time he confronted the Varia Boss. The rest of the Varia followed after them with obvious reluctance. Squalo couldn't blame them; he would want to stay and bask in Chrome Dokuro's warm affection even if it were just a little longer himself but he had his obligations, his duties, his priorities.

And Xanxus always— ALWAYS— came first.

Squalo finally decided to speak when they were halfway down the hall leading to Xanxus' office. But just as he had opened his mouth to break the silence the scarred man beat him to it.

"When can we hold a meeting with all the higher ups sworn to the Varia?"

"Oh!" Lussuria jumped at the question. "Don't you remember, Boss? We're supposed to do that this Friday on—"

"Where?" was Xanxus' curt question without even breaking his stride.

"Err... oh... The usual, of course," Lussuria's fingers fidgeted at the question. "Devil's Island."

"Ushishishishi~ That brings back memories." Bel hissed, the tip of a knife tapping against his chin as another blood thirsty grin spread across his face.

"I'll start planning the security details now." Levi grunted as he continued to limp after them.

"I want every single one of the scum who answers to us to be there. Make sure to issue the proper invitations."

Squalo and Lussuria had to stop following Xanxus to look at each other in bafflement before the shark was shaken back to his senses and started striding after the Varia Boss hurriedly.

"VOI! What the _fuck_ is this about all of a sudden, you damn boss?! You've never bothered with this shit before!"

"Shut up, trash." Xanxus growled. "Lussuria."

"Y-yes, Boss?" the effeminate assassin asked, rushing over to follow them, uncertain of their Boss' mood.

"Where is it?"

The Sun Guardian was practically sweating icicles at the question. "I-it's in your office; in your personal vault like you wanted, Boss."

"Good. Now stop fucking following me."

Squalo was left behind with the other Varia Guardians staring after a steadily retreating Xanxus with incredulous, puzzled stares. Something that was broken by Belphegor's sudden bout of laughter.

"Ushishishishi, ushishishishi, _ushishishishi~!"_

"VOI! Shut the _fuck_ up, you goddamned hyena! What the hell's wrong with you?!"

Bel's index finger came up under his bangs as though wiping tears caused by his laughter before he could speak. "Looks like our Boss is finally tired of his own game~"

Squalo turned murderous eyes on Levi as the taller man stared after their Boss. He might not be the smartest of all the Varia but he could very well connect all the damn dots together. "VOOOII! YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS, DIDN'T YOU?!"

The Lightning Guardian sneered back at him. "I _told_ you that woman was dangerous."

Yes he did and Squalo wanted to beat himself up for not realizing it sooner. The clues were all there. Xanxus never called her anything other than 'Woman' or 'Dokuro'. Never had he addressed her with the more familiar 'bitch' or 'you' he addressed every other woman who dared try to converse with the Varia Boss.

He was _such_ a _fucking idiot._

"WELL THEN WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU BENDING OVER TO MAKE HER HAPPY?! AREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO WANTS HER FUCKING GONE?! WHY ARE YOU LETTING THIS HAPPEN?!" the swordsman yelled in frustration, wanting someone else to blame even for a moment.

Levi scowled and looked away. "...The Boss deserves to be happy. And if I have to sacrifice that woman for that then so be it."

Squalo was so very tempted to cut the bastard down but he understood why Levi was so calm now. Finding out that the most zealous of Xanxus' Guardians was allowing someone else to come close enough to touch their Boss' half dead heart was a shock, though.

"MOTHER FUCKING MORON!" the swordsman yelled before stomping after Xanxus who was now out of their sight. "YOU'VE GOT NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"

Squalo had no problem catching up to the garnet eyed Varia Boss, his mind filled with the infinite scenarios of letting Xanxus do what he _thought_ the scarred man was about to do. And none of them had good outcomes. The memory of his last conversation with Yamamoto niggled in the back of his mind and he mentally cussed at the other Rain Guardian as well.

How the fuck was he going to keep his promises now?

"VOOOIII! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, SHITTY BOSS?!"

Like earlier, he was ignored. Squalo fought the desperate urge to beat some sense into the scarred man's head but he struggled to be calm and lowered his voice as he stomped after his leader. "What the fuck is going on, Xanxus?"

"It's none of your business, damned shark." was the growled reply he got.

Squalo gritted his teeth at it but persisted in following the man. "What the _hell_ is the matter with you?!"

"Shut up."

"You've gotta be outta your goddamned mind if you think I haven't figured out just what the fuck you're planning to do! I know you too damned well!"

"Trash—"

"It's not that I don't think she's useful!"

"I _said_ shut up."

"If anyone's gonna force me at gunpoint I'd probably admit that I like her too!"

Crimson eyes flashed like blades at the second in command; the first time Squalo gained his boss' complete attention since the man had arrived.

Squalo flinched but didn't back down. "I think you're fucking screwed in the head for even wanting to do this!"

"I don't fucking care what you think, trash."

"Xanxus—"

"All you fucking scum have to do is follow my orders."

"_God_, will you fucking listen?!"

"If you don't like it—"

"Fucking _hell_, why can't you _see_ it?!"

"Then you can fucking screw yourself with a drill."

"GODDAMNIT, XANXUS, SHE DOESN'T BELONG HERE!"

In a blink of an eye Squalo found himself shoved hard against the cold, bare wall with his neck under Xanxus' forearm and the barrel of an X-Gun grinding between his eyes. Xanxus was looking straight at him, the crimson eyes of hooded almandine now burning like bright embers in the dim hallway threatening to scorch and melt the icy silver of his eyes.

"She's _mine_," Xanxus snarled at him in a hiss. "She will _not_ leave. I will _not_ allow it."

A lesser man would have already suffocated from the killing intent but Superbia Squalo was not Varia's Strategy Commander for nothing. He glared right back into those fire red eyes with the force of iceberg cold gaze and sneered at the scarred Italian as he spoke. "Does she even fucking know that?! Does she even love you back?!"

That seemed to hit a nerve because Xanxus sneered at the mention of the emotion shoved the shark away from him violently, his disgust evident.

"When I'm done she will have no say in the matter."

Squalo couldn't stop his eyes from widening at the implications. "So it _is_ true. You're going to—"

He was cut off by Xanxus cuffing him on the side of the head with the handle of his X-Gun throwing Squalo on the floor and making his temple bleed. An icy glare met with fiery ones in an angry battle of wills.

"_It's my fucking choice, no one else gets a say in it, trash_!" Xanxus roared.

"AND DO YOU REALLY THINK THE VONGOLA WILL JUST SIT BACK AND DO NOTHING?!" Squalo yelled back, jumping to his feet like a spring.

"IF THEY WERE REALLY THAT CONCERNED THEN THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE THROWN HER AWAY LIKE A PILE OF SHIT!"

"ARE YOU FUCKING FORGETTING THAT SHE'S THE 10TH GENERATION VONGOLA _FUCKING_ MIST GUARDIAN, ASSHOLE?!" Squalo retorted incredulously. "DO YOU _REALLY_ THINK THEY'LL JUST ROLL OVER AND LET DOKURO BE YOUR GODDAMNED TOY?!"

"If the fucking bastards don't like that then I'd like to see them— and _you_— try and fucking stop me!" and with that Xanxus turned away from his second in command to continue heading for his office.

"DOES SHE EVEN GET A FUCKING SAY IN THE MATTER?!" but again the Varia Rain Guardian was ignored and he knew better than to pursue the matter.

Squalo knew from the look in his Boss' eyes that there was nothing else he could do. Nothing was going to stop the scarred man. All he could do was grit his teeth and deal with the shit that will surely come of this decision because Xanxus' actions just confirmed everything he needed to know.

"Son of a fuck mothering bitch," the Varia swore wearily as he wiped down his face with his good hand in both exhaustion and disbelief. "Great. Just _fucking_ great."

It's not like he didn't want Xanxus to be happy; fuck he would give up any part of his body to see something good happen to the bastard. He knew Xanxus only saw himself as leader of Varia in name only, always putting Squalo in charge because he thought the silver haired man was supposed to be Varia's real Boss anyway. But that was before the Rings rejected him. That was before Xanxus had lost his purpose in life. Despite what Xanxus thought all the Varia would always view him as their one and only Boss no matter who sat on the Vongola throne. None of their members were really big with words so they showed the bastard what they meant by bending over backwards at his every order. Each and every one of them made sure to follow him so they could keep him happy.

So what the fuck was he going to do if the thing that made Xanxus happy could also potentially become his greatest misery?

Squalo ran the fingers of his good hand through his hair before kicking at the wall hard and screamed in frustration for a good five minutes not caring who heard him before he could calm down and make his decision.

He had laid out his bed so now he could fucking lie in it. He'd be fucked before he left that irresponsible son of a bitch of a Boss of his alone. He'll just do what he always did whenever Xanxus did something unreasonable.

And that was to follow the bastard down to hell and back.

**/*****/**

"Brow? Is that you? Come in."

Timoteo smiled warmly as Brow Nie Jr. entered his sitting room and his old friend and Sun Guardian bowed to him in respect.

"You called for me, Ninth?" Brow Nie Jr. smiled down at the old man tied down to a wheelchair in his old age.

"Yes, thank you, Brow Nie, I'm sorry for bothering you so late in the morning but could you do me a favor?"

"Certainly, Ninth; what is it that you wish of me?"

"Can you send this over to the Varia fortress for me, please?" he old boss said as he gestured towards the rather large package on his coffee table.

The sight of it, however, brought a frown to the 9th generation Guardian's face. "I see. So it's that time of the year again, isn't it?"

The smile on Timoteo's face became impossibly warmer. "That's right, old friend; that is right."

Brow Nie sighed but picked the package up anyway. "I will never understand why you bother every year. He always sends them back destroyed in some way or another. Remember that piece of land in Ireland you bought for him two years ago? He decimated the place and sent us _pictures_, Timoteo. _Pictures_. We're still trying to get that land grow grass again."

"It's fine, Brow Nie, don't worry about it," Timoteo waved off the memories with a frail hand. "They were his to do with as he wished; I send them to him every year of my own volition."

Brow Nie pursed his lips, already knowing why his old friend and Boss did such a thing. "You've done what you could for him despite the fact that he was not your flesh and blood. You owe him nothing more. Especially after everything he had done to you in the past. I still get nightmares about the time when he switched you with an impostor."

Timoteo's smile dimmed a bit out of compassion and reached out to touch his Sun Guardian's forearm with a light hand. He had known that Brow Nie had never truly been able to forgive Xanxus for that even after all these years. It had taken a good long while before they allowed him to even be in the same room since that incident.

"The past is the past, Brow… Or have you already forgotten what Signorina Chrome said?"

At the reminder of the lovely young woman that they have enjoyed the company of recently the younger man's lips twitched grudgingly. "There's another mystery I cannot comprehend, either."

"She's a good girl," Timoteo's eyes softened fondly at the thought of the 10th Generation Mist Guardian. "And very beautiful."

"I agree," Brow Nie nodded severely. "Too good for the likes of someone like Xanxus."

"For her to fall in love with my rebellious son would be a miracle I would most welcome; however I fear this is a miracle Xanxus cannot have," the Vongola's Ninth boss' face turned serious and infused with a sharpness that would have surprised an ordinary person. It would be unusual to see such a grim and cunning expression on such an aged man. "What news from Visconti?"

The younger man's face turned equally solemn in return. "It would seem that gathering proof is harder than he had thought possible. They are hiding something, though, that is all he could confirm."

"Any specific timeframe?"

"Over the last year or so."

"…I see." Timoteo remained silent and looked down into his cooling cup of espresso for a good minute before nodding resolutely. "We shall attend the Decimo's birthday then."

Brow Nie's eyes widened at the announcement. "Ninth, you can't—"

"I will go." Timoteo announced in a voice that would brook no argument. "I need to speak with Tsunayoshi myself. I need to know if he is even aware of the mistake he is about to make."

Brow Nie Jr. sighed heavily before bowing formally to the old man. "Very well, I will inform the other Guardians of your decision. Is there a message that you would like to put on this package before I send it out, though?"

"Just one," the warm smile returned to Timoteo's face. "Happy Birthday, Xanxus."

/*****/

Please Review? o(-_-)o


	21. Chapter 21

**Title: ****Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version**

**Theme: ****Scars**

**AN**: Don't expect regular updates. Sorry If I can't give out a proper author's note, everyone. I have been very busy and very upset regarding work and personal issues. I have done everything I can to write this chapter up quickly; I apologize if you guys think the plot's going too slow and for any spelling or grammatical errors I have made here. This chapter just wouldn't quit till it's done so it's pretty long. I am also changing the title as to avoid any more confusion and so the story can be read as a stand alone piece. **PLEASE ENJOY!**

This chapter is dedicated to nougamis.

ADVANCED HAPPY BIRTHDAY, XANXUS-SAMAAAA!

**Guest**: Thank you very much for the review and I can't promise you a scene like that but I still hope you will enjoy the rest of the story. ;p

**Nougamis**: Hi. First of all I want to tell you that you are one of the reasons that I wanted to post so quickly. Your review… wow I was stunned and beyond words. You have pointed out everything that I have struggled to breathe life into this story. I too am an avid Chrome fan exactly because of all the reasons you have pointed out. For me her development would have been _awesome_ had she been given the proper notice and importance. She was the only girl in their generation that actually made sense to me. Haru too for that matter had she not been so darn annoying. Thank you so much. Your review had single handedly inspired me to write this _whole_ chapter. It was refreshing and enjoyable and makes the lack of sleep worth it so I dedicate this chapter to you, my friend. *hug*

**Indyctator**: My lovely, Indy. As always your reviews never cease to amuse and reenergize me. Love ya, babe, don't be down and keep your chin up. PM me of you need anything you know I'll always be by your side. ;D

**Everlasting97**: Thank you so much for leaving your thoughts, they make me happy and tells me your guys are still interested to know what will happen. It's true things are getting more intense so stay tuned for more!

**Yuuki12397**: LOLOL No, I do NOT want you dead. Don't worry your wishes will come true come the 7th part of the series. ;p

**Guardian1992**: Aww thanks! *hug* I was thinking I wanted my room to be like that lol; I'm so happy you're keeping tabs and leaving me your thoughts; it helps a lot like you have no idea. Keep on reading okay?

**Aya**: thank you so much for waiting and leaving me a review. 0096? Ironically enough I've got a one shot in mind… We'll see okay? *hug*

**NyaDC**: *BIG HUG* It's okay, friend, I feel ya. Lol Thank you for leaving me your review, it reenergizes me to hear I made you happy. Lol more sexual tension! Lol

**BlackAngel'sWrath**: *hug* I'm so happy I made you happy.

**Minekoanime**: lol nearing the end? Umm…. I don't know… there are still some plot holes to cover. I'm honestly relieved you're still reading this, though. I'm hoping to get 3396 out around after the big reveal but we'll see. Thank you so much for the review, it inspires me hehe. Love ya!

**SimplySinful21**: Again please forgive me if the story seems slow… ;_;

**sparkling apples:** lol don't be silly, your reviews invigorate me and inspire me. They make my work worthwhile lol. I truly hope you enjoy this new chapter as well.

**Angelazzy**: I WISH I COULD HAVE UPDATED SOONER SO I COULD HAVE MADE YOU HAPPY LIKE LAST TIME AGAIIIIIINNN! *sobbu* But I hope this long chapter is worth it. Please enjoy. *bow*

**ariados26:** please be patient! I promise it'll all come together! Thank you and please keep reading!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you recognize.

**Chapter Twenty One**

'Hate is just a special kind of love reserved for those who sucked.'

It was almost the Varia _creed_.

This was a philosophy that had stuck in the Varia Storm Guardian's mind ever since his Boss uttered the words some ten years back when they gambled with fate and Sawada Tsunayoshi. These past few days the words echoed in his mind over and over like the daily toll of a church bell and the Prince the Ripper knew exactly why.

Belphegor had always thought Xanxus was an otherworldly being. Even as a prince he felt their difference right off the bat the moment he set eyes on the man.

The man was a force of nature, something a Prince like himself cannot command and someone with half a brain would not dare challenge. Although the Varia Boss was peasant-born he was not someone one could call peasant-_like_. He ruled an empire that no other kingdom on earth could ever touch. A realm of fire, war and chaos and deep, deep darkness. Belphegor found himself reveling in it and before he knew it he would do _anything_ not to be expelled from here. Who needed Heaven when he could revel in Hell?

Had his parents and older brother been alive he was sure that they would all have sneered at him for willingly following Xanxus. Royalty should _never_ have to bow to commoners; especially commoners of unworthy birth. Sometimes he regretted killing them, really. It would have been fun watching them try to defy the Boss. He knew that had they been alive and he was forced to make a choice he would always, _always_ choose Xanxus. His family would have been fools not to see the greatness of the scarred man. In the Prince's mind Xanxus was beyond human, beyond royalty.

He was a god.

The God of War.

The only status that could overpower true royalty like him. It was the only thing that salvaged his pride when Xanxus beat him down that day when he came to the Varia to challenge them and force them to let him join the group. One look filled with condescension and Belphegor knew he had already lost. There was no way he would win and he was proud that it was Xanxus who had managed to cow him without even drawing a drop of blood.

There was no shame in losing to a god.

Practically raised in the Varia he had acquired a new set of morals that allowed him to think in ways that would have been considered disturbing by any normal standards but he personally did not care. He actually reveled in it all. As long as he stayed with them he would be allowed to wreak as much chaos as he wanted without a crown and a royal upbringing holding him back. Without the dictates of society telling him what to do. Xanxus was a large, looming shadow and Belphegor thought about himself and the other Varia officers as poisonous weeds. They would die in the sunlight but would flourish in the darkness of that shadow. A dark Sky that would embrace them all.

Xanxus was not just their Boss; he was their religion.

A lot of people called them crazy but the blonde prince did not care. Unlike the lowly plebeians content in their redundant normalcy he actually understood. Only a person of royal blood— a genius— could wrap his mind around such a deeply thought out philosophy wrapped up in such crude words.

'Love' did not compute; and that was just fine with the forsaken aristocrat. 'Love' was not for ones born of royal blood. Arranged marriages were made not for 'Love' but for _convenience_.

It was _convenient_ for the aristocracy to marry for procreation.

It was _convenient_ for royalty to arrange marriages between cousins— even siblings— to keep the blood pure and the throne within the family.

So what if they bred monsters into their gene pool?

So what if the heirs were not what one would consider of sound mind?

In the end siblings fought and the stronger one would continue living in order to continue the blood line building up perfection with every generation that passed until that strength went beyond commoner comprehension. Until it went beyond commoner thought.

It was only fitting; _normal_ was for peasants, after all. They were only meant to look up and be stepped on by people who were stronger; history has proved this to be true all throughout its bloody, gory pages. His family had no reason to doubt this.

So it was understandable that Belphegor was under the impression that 'Love' was nothing but pointless rubbish and agreed with his Boss' philosophy wholeheartedly. 'Love' was too troublesome. It forced one to care despite, above and beyond what you were willing to sometimes give. ThingS like that bored the Bloody Prince quickly.

Now _Desire_...

Desire was something Belphegor knew very well. He indulged in it whenever it suited him and it was easy to forget when he was done. It also did not require a lot of reason to _feel_ desire.

Desire was all about getting anything one wanted, whatever it was anytime one wanted it. For a Prince this was vital and so he understood why Xanxus rebelled against the Vongola to acquire the title of Decimo. In fact he was awed by that Desire; amazed at the way Xanxus' obsession scorched at anyone and everyone around him. He guessed such was a god when he desired something. In the Varia it was universally understood that Desire was synonymous to pure unadulterated want of the rawest kind. It easily blew over the other pathetic emotions like 'Love'. 'Love' paled in the face of 'Desire' in his opinion. 'Love' would lay down and die when unfulfilled, quietly festering into a fatal weakness. But 'Desire' destroyed everyone in its wake until it was fulfilled or it would die trying. If unfulfilled it would try to take down the world with it. Or at least that was how he saw it when Xanxus desired something.

And now it seemed the 'God of War' desired a woman.

From the shadows of the nearly deserted hallways that led to the communications room Belphegor chased the slight figure with his eyes. She had been called from Xanxus' office by a peasant subordinate who said she had important, secure calls waiting for her all at the same time. To make it easier on her servers and to make sure she received the calls in the best possible and most secure frequency she decided to come to the communications room herself, making sure to tell the commoners to clear the room out. Belphegor followed her discreetly mainly because he was bored. Wherever the little duchess went these days excitement was sure to follow.

The contrast of light and dark emanating from her made her quite fascinating— addicting even, as he had found these past few months observing her. One could get drunk just by watching the way she moved. He would have been disappointed in his Boss had he not at least looked twice at Chrome Dokuro.

It was not so hard to figure out that his Boss _desired_ the little duchess. It took a while for him to notice the attraction but that was only because he was much too interested in her himself. Though Belphegor had a grand intelligence quotient of 194 his emotional quotient would be close to below average compensated only by the brilliance of his royal mind. In fact, within the Varia he had been the one most lacking in emotional intelligence. It took a while for him to piece everything together. How Xanxus would react every time the little duchess was not within sight; how the scarred man followed her every move with his eyes. The dead giveaway came around the time after the little Mist Guardian risked her life in aid of the Varia Boss. How Xanxus would snarl and growl at anyone who even tried coming near the woman. At that point he knew that Xanxus considered her his possession and Belphegor was happy. It would mean that the expiry date Reborn gave them would be useless and he would have all the time in the world unwrapping the mystery that surrounded the female Vongola Mist Guardian. There were still many things about her that he did not know, things she did that he could not figure out.

Like how she could act so understanding and warm towards them— the _Varia_— despite the sarcasm, the threats, the insults and the condescension? How she managed to be exceptional without being so loud about it? How she could not care for glory or money or even acknowledgement like she should be? His assessment of a younger Chrome Dokuro made him peg her for a person who would do anything to prove she was not just Rokudo Mukuro's puppet. Having such a faultless character irked him and wounded his royal pride. Surely she had _some_ flaw? No one could be _that_ perfect. No one _should_ be that perfect.

Normally he would mistrust her but the first time he had observed her back in Spain he had seen how far into the dark she would reach into to get what she needed. She had no problems getting her hands dirty if she had a goal in mind. It fascinated him how she was like a porcelain statue; a robot going through the motions and yet at the same time so human it... it actually made him _hurt_. Like when she actually dared stand in their defense in front of the 9th.

Also, contrary to Squalo's belief he was not as oblivious to the workings of the Varia's administration as the shark thought; he just didn't care enough to take care of all that because it was not princely. There was no way he would not have been able to take notice of the fact that even after heavy attacks from Trinidad the Varia remain unassailable. He would be a moron like Levi to not be able to see that _she_ had made sure they were still untouchable in the eyes of everyone else. She had made sure their reputation was safe.

It made Bel think highly of her. It made him sit up and take her words seriously in a way that he had only done for the Boss; in the way he had only done for Squalo. Making him actually feel something other than apathy was an accomplishment in and of itself. At first this made him angry. He felt violated and the fact that it had been by someone he considered weaker than himself was a great insult. Why… he had been ready to kill her.

She was saved only by the Boss' fascination of her. She was saved by this because it never occurred to the Varia Storm Guardian that watching gods obsess over something living and breathing and _tangible_ would be _so much fun_.

Observing the gruff protectiveness the Boss surrounded her with... The frustration his Boss vibrated with at the distant way the woman held herself despite being held in the Varia Boss' arms almost all the time while recovering from her wound… Belphegor had never known such entertainment.

He realized he was witnessing a celestial event just by watching the 'God of War' court the 'Goddess of the Underworld'.

Belphegor could find no other moniker that was more fitting to classify the kind of power she emitted.

The way she blended into the darkness despite her moonlight pale skin… The way her pink lips and blushes breathed life into an otherwise sickly pallor. The way she _glowed_ with power despite her silence.

It was as though Thanatos himself had been born unto her.

This also proved something to the blonde prince.

Like people of the aristocracy gods are only naturally attracted to other gods.

How else could she have caught Xanxus' eye?

Yes, to Belphegor Xanxus was no more human than _he_ was a peasant and while most people would say he was insane he had no need to care. Varia was a world of its own, after all; Xanxus allowed them to make their own rules. This way of thinking allowed the Ripper Prince to forgive himself for being made to feel human by the little duchess. After all…

…There was no shame in indulging a goddess.

Eyes hidden behind blonde bangs watched the little duchess from the shadows as she stood in front of the communications panel, the place deserted as per her instructions. He was amused that she seemed to still be perplexed by how all the Varia subordinates had suddenly taken to obeying her requests the way they did when any of Varia's officers spoke. Levi and the rest of the Varia executives had made it very clear that she was to be recognized as a part of the squad. She still hasn't realized that she was already being inducted fully to the group.

He watched her plug a flash drive into one of their computer's front ports. His eyes narrowed underneath his golden bangs wondering if she was trying to betray them; if the fool decided to shed her wings and risk falling from Xanxus' grace. Do something stupid like relay their location to an ambush party or steal secrets from their servers. His suspicions were allayed, though, when a familiar holographic, transparent green screen rose up from the port, a green infra light projecting it from the flash drive and the computers assisting it so that the screen grew to about the size of a seventy inch flat screen television.

"Computer," her soft voice floated in the solitary, dimly lit room like a lonely feather. Belphegor had long decided that he liked her voice. Though it held the proper and elegant speech of his mother's it also had none of his lady mother's chill. Chrome's voice was... akin to a pillow stuffed with a swan's downiest feathers even if she spoke neutrally. It was another part of her mystery, that. How despite her obvious nobility she acted with such gracious modesty. And though he was unused to such tenderness Belphegor found himself lazily indulging in it as much as he could. "Open speed dials 2, 3 and 5."

"Affirmative." Came the monotonous, disembodied female voice of the installed hardware echoing in the walls. "Dialing… Connected."

"Computer, conference call; four way."

In another second the faces of Gokudera Hayato, Hibari Kyouya and Basil pulled up on the large screen divided in three equal spaces each and every one of them seemingly sitting comfortably in their respective offices.

"Chrome-dono!" Basil immediately called out, almost standing out of his seat behind the wooden desk in his office in worry. "I've heard about Venice; are you alright?!"

"Dokuro," came Hayato's growl, slamming a palm on the top of his table angrily. "It's about damn time! And what the hell are you guys doing calling her the same time I do?!"

"Now, now, Hayato-dono, isn't this better?" Basil tried calming the Storm Guardian down.

Hibari remained silent, his blue gray eyes watching the female Mist Guardian with the same unnerving intensity that Belphegor had always associated with the man. The Bloody Prince stiffened at the sight of those sharp eyes, reflexively clutching at a handful of his knives and anxiously stared at the Cloud Guardian. He couldn't help it. He would never admit it even on pain of death but Hibari gave off the same aura as Xanxus, an aura that demanded respect from him. The aura that said they were beyond human. The blonde assassin knew that Hibari Kyoya was descended from royalty himself… Warlords of a land that wove its history on blood and a strict code of honor. But there was something about the dark haired man that made him just a little bit out of his princely league as though the Skylark was a step away from godhood himself. Something Belphegor resented but never dared cross. He was smart enough not to do that, after all. Only Xanxus had ever faced the Cereberus of Namimori in battle with a smile.

He approved of the fact that the female Mist Guardian remained steadily unfazed by it by that aura. The Skylark had his fingers tented over his mouth as his elbows rested on his own dark wooden desktop while he stared directly at the female illusionist and never once did Chrome display a trace of concern.

"My apologies," she nodded to them all slightly in a respectful greeting like she did with the Varia Boss. "I was not sure how you would want to proceed after I sent you a copy of the list so I waited for you to contact me."

"Of course; thank you for the trouble, Chrome-dono, this was a good idea! It would also allow us to agree to one plan."

"Hmp!"

"…"

"You've all had enough time to assess the list?" was all she said and again the blonde prince approved that she dismissed the trivialities to dive right into the heart of the matter even though he found this a little boring.

Were it him in her position he would have taken the time to at least tease his Vongola counterpart. The silver haired peasant always did turn into a pleasant shade of puce when upset.

"You've given us four damn days; the hell do you think I am; stupid?" the bomber snarled, his green eyes glaring off the screen; its color somehow managing to separate itself from the light of the holographic monitor.

As he had come to expect of his little duchess she completely disregarded the irate bomber's mood and seemed much more anxious about her goal. "And?"

Belphegor grinned even more fiercely. He understood the other Storm Guardian's frustration at her less than fiery reaction. The little duchess just refused to be baited. If it weren't for the fact that he had seen her cry just four nights ago he would have been sure she was a porcelain statue.

"I have had our agents investigate them all," Basil replied, still formal but his usually good natured face grim. "Phone records, bank records, even their emails _everything_. Their connections to La Justicia Pasada has been confirmed and we have gathered enough intelligence to make it undeniable."

"The Tenth is already studying the situation and he will want all the proof you can send him," Hayato grumbled in discontent, eyes distracted by the Mist Guardian. "He'll need time to make a decision."

"Once he sees their faces he will know." Belphegor felt his grin twitch into a slight frown at the confidence in the female Mist Guardian's tone. It was as though the Sawada brat could do no wrong in her eyes. "The Varia wants Trinidad for themselves," Chrome added making Belphegor feel curiously proud that she was being so assertive on their behalf and regaining the prince's good humor. "They will not be very happy if anybody else interferes with that man."

Hayato turned his cat green eyes at her, their light glinting sharply in disapproval. "That will be _his_ decision; not _theirs_."

The blonde Ripper bristled silently at this; his grin turning thirstier at the thought of cutting the peasant bomber open.

"Hayato," Bel stopped at the strange tone in her voice; a tone she had never used on any of them. It was a tone of supplication. Like the ones children used to appeal to a parent. Or the kind a woman used to beg a lover for his consideration. The kind of tone people who are comfortably familiar with each other used when they spoke with one another. "You know he will take the Varia's desires into consideration; there's no need for a skirmish."

Eyes blinked behind blonde bangs as the bomber's glare softened in grudging admission before the Varia Storm Guardian's eyes. "They'll have to present their case themselves."

"He's mine."

Evey single one of them turned towards the Cloud Guardian who spoke for the first time.

Chrome was the one who broke the silence first. "You have my condolences."

It surprised Bel that Hibari didn't even bat an eyelash when he responded to her words. "The Spanish herbivore is mine."

"Hibari-san—"

Something flammable and cold sparked in the former prefect's eyes even though his expression remained stoic. "I will not allow them to steal my prey."

_He was our prey first!_ Belphegor wanted to protest but kept his silence. Even through a holographic screen the Skylark's anger was practically audible.

"I promise you nothing."

Her blunt refusal to offer him reassurance that he would get what he wanted earned her a narrowed gaze from the Cloud. "Omnivore—"

"You know I can't and won't stop you from doing what you want," she cut his warning growl off; still lacking any trace of fear. "But I was thinking of handing you bigger prey."

At that the dark haired man perked up and narrowed his eyes at her in interest this time. He waited.

"I think you noticed that in your copy of the list there are three spaces that are blank." She continued.

Belphegor saw the realization _gleam_ in the former prefect's eyes and the smirk that followed was bone chilling. "Wao."

_Indeed_, Belphegor thought, frowning at this implied favoritism in the little duchess' part.

"I am sure that you will be able to have an idea by the time the Alliance meeting comes around," her complete trust and fate on the Skylark's abilities was plain and unquestionable and again Belphegor frowned. "Hibari-san. I'm sure you have been speaking with Mukuro-sama.

"…He has given me interesting information."

"About?"

"You'll know when I'm finished."

"…I see."

"More importantly, Omnivore," the Cloud Guardian's voice was soft but commanding. "What are you doing staying at a carnivore's nest?"

Belphegor's brow lifted at the sight of Gokudera Hayato stiffening in his place.

"I am on assignment," was Chrome's calm answer. "Reborn-san's orders."

"That baby only enacts orders from none other than Sawada Tsunayoshi himself. Why would that man want you away from the Iron Fort? And why was I not informed of your whereabouts the moment they moved you?"

"That's _none_ of your business, Hibari!" Hayato shouted, his fist slamming on his desk. "This is between her and the Vongola's Consigliori! Besides she's a Guardian! She has a duty to follow orders!"

"I _am_ the Vongola's Consigliori," Hibari growled at the Storm Guardian softly, menacingly. "Or has Sawada Iemitsu suddenly felt the need to invoke his powers all of a sudden without the knowledge of the rest of the Guardians?"

"You! Just shut the hell up already! You've got no idea what you're—"

"Please, that's enough."

The men stopped, her plea resonating like a gunshot in a quiet night and Belphegor had to wonder if she even knew the kind of effect she had on these men. Did she even realize that other men who had dared interfere with the arguments between such men have been shot down or beaten?

"Chrome-dono…" it was Basil, his face apologetic. "I am merely concerned for your safety. There really is no reason why you should be assigned to the Varia like this. Forgive me but to me it is like… you are being punished. Also if you are being kept away from the Vongola Mansion then does that mean there is a threat to the Vongola Decimo's security? Weren't you assigned as his bodyguard just this yea—"

"That's _enough_, damn it!"

"Hayato." Green met violet and the calm in the latter gaze forced the bomber to take deep breaths, his hand clenched tightly on top of his desk. Chrome kept speaking. "Basil, I appreciate your concern but I need you to stop worrying about me.

"Hibari-san, I understand why you wish to be informed of the inner workings of the Vongola; as the Cloud this is your duty; however your requests can only second the orders I receive from the Boss and the Outside Advisor. Anything else you want to know you will have to work on it yourself," Hibari frowned at this but remained silent. "In any case, whatever decision that was made is made for the good of the Family. I have agreed to obey my orders; there is no reason to mistrust those orders or the Varia. Unless you both think that I am untrustworthy?"

"NO! Of _course_ not!" Basil yelled, practically standing from his seat. "Chrome-dono has my complete trust!"

Chrome lifted her head and gave Basil a small, gentle smile but there was a quiver to it that Bel absolutely did _not_ like. She then engaged in another staring contest with the Skylark, their eyes communicating something that was only privy to the Mist and the Cloud. If Belphegor were to read between the lines it would seem the Skylark was trying to break down the duchess' with his own force of will but the duchess held herself fast and firm. Totally unshakeable.

Finally, Hibari broke the ensuing silence. "Trinidad is coming to Milan in five hours."

"WHAT?!" Hayato yelped.

The Skylark's defeat was reflected in his change of topic and the Bloody Prince almost cackled in glee although he had to wonder what sort of hold the purple haired Mist Guardian had over the man to make him respect her enough to not pursue the topic any longer.

Hibari now had his arms crossed over his chest and continued to speak. The only thing that did not please Belphegor was the fact that the Cloud Guardian's steel blue eyes were staring directly at Chrome Dokuro, completely ignoring the existence of the other two men who were on the line with them. "He was invited by that herbivore that you punished to pressure the Italian government into supporting his bill. The one that will allow the government to freeze all accounts and monetary assets of any don or doña suspected of heading a Mafia syndicate."

"He's greedy," Chrome agreed, seemingly recovering and thoughtful now. "He wants to stay in his seat of power for now; he knows he's not popular enough to gain support for the presidency."

"That may still change once the Mafia hunt becomes successful."

"The press conference will be their stepping stone."

"We can stop the press conference from commencing," Basil offered, joining the conversation. "Vongola is not without resources in the government, after all."

"You'll only put their careers at risk needlessly, Basil," Chrome turned to the sandy blonde man apologetically, elegantly tilting her head to the side. "The people on the list I sent you all have influences in both the government and military sectors; they will be waiting for us to make a move via our own connections in the government. If they find out who our allies are then they can pool their strength and strike at us from that end."

"Damnit," Hayato gritted his teeth. "We need more time! Why the _hell_ did you wait this long to tell us about this, Hibari?!"

"..." the Skylark ignored the bomber as though he were nothing important and not the current Vongola Decimo's right hand man.

"_Damned, Skylark, don't ignore me_!"

"I'll take care of it." Hayato stopped and turned his scowl on their female Mist Guardian. "Hayato, tell Haru to send me her Black Ledger; the one for the Italian chapter."

"You don't have to do anything; I can—"

"As you said we have no time and your position beside the Boss at this point will present a strategic stalemate in the Alliance. We need them to think that this issue is so inconsequential that the Vongola Decimo's right hand man does not even need to leave his side. In the meantime, please think of the best way to keep doubts from clouding any of the other Families." the woman cut the silver haired man off; soft but reasonable. "It's fine, Hayato, I'll take care of this. Focus on protecting the Boss. This is what you have me for."

"The HELL you say—"

"Hayato," she cut him off with a small smile. "It's okay."

Hayato stared at her for a second looking stunned and breathless before he scowled; the muscle in his jaw jumping as he glared at his desktop as though trying his best to hold his explosive temper in check.

"If I may be so bold, what are you planning to do, Chrome-dono?" Basil asked curiously, eyeing the confrontation between the two Guardians avidly.

Chrome's gaze turned to the sandy blonde man's portion of the screen. "A few things I'll need CEDEF's help with, if that's alright with you, Basil?"

Basil did the best dogeza he could while sitting behind his office desk in CEDEF headquarters. "I am yours to command."

"Then I'll leave everything to you;" Hayato sounded anything but pleased. "I'll have the stupid woman send you the Ledger immediately. I want a detailed report on whatever the hell it is you're planning to do as soon as possible."

"That goes without saying."

"I _mean_ it, Dokuro," Hayato snarled quietly. "I want to be in on every single detail."

She merely nodded at the silver haired man. "Then it's decided. I will buy the Boss more time; Basil will assist me on this. Basil, I'll let you know the details later, I need to contact some people first. Hayato will continue to intercept and deal with any problem that comes directly to the Iron Fort and Hibari-san...?"

"I've already sent Kusakabe out to clean up Japan's political system," his eyes sharpened like blue tinted blades in the dim light of his office. "Starting with Namimori."

Bel couldn't help but wish he were in Japan to see the carnage he _knew_ the Cloud Guardian can enforce.

The little duchess was unfazed and uninterested in the man's violence and merely nodded. "Then we will deal with the rest during the Alliance meeting."

"Fine."

"Let me know when you have your plan mapped out, Chrome-dono."

Basil's panel blinked out first, Hibari and Gokudera lingered. Both men were glaring at each other, waiting for each other to cut their lines off first.

"Go away, Hibari, I still need to talk to her!" Hayato finally growled.

Hibari frowned in displeasure but his eyes turned back to the woman who kept looking on at them with a trace of expectant confusion.

It was a while before the Cloud Guardian spoke. "You are in danger."

Chrome blinked and Belphegor perked up, his grin nowhere in sight. "Eh?"

"That Pineapple-herbivore has been following leads for a while now; do you have any idea who it is that wants you?"

She met the question with a thoughtful frown. "Trinidad seems to be interested in me."

"The idiot Pineapple has been following leads of this group since a year before, it can't be him." Hibari continued; his voice holding no traces of concern despite the persistence of his questions.

Any other woman who prided herself as an active, fully functioning Mafioso would have been offended and would probably think she was being underestimated but Chrome's response was one of true gratefulness. "I'll be alright, Hibari-san; I'll be careful. Thank you for telling me."

"Hn," the Skylark scowled in displeasure. "If you see Yamamoto Takeshi try not to be too surprised by his sudden show of attention. He had just had an… epiphany of sorts."

At this she tilted her head to the side and blinked in complete confusion this time but Hibari just allowed his eyes to linger on her face for a few more moments before his face blinked off the screen as well leaving Hayato the only one who was still speaking to her and Belphegor couldn't help but feel irritated by the fact that Gokudera had not left the line so he forced himself to keep to the dark a little while longer.

"Damn Hibari," the silver haired bomber grumbled at the spot where Hibari's face must have been displayed on his monitor. "I'll get him one of these days that snooty bastard."

"He's just worried, you heard what he said," Chrome replied defending the Skylark. "You know he's always been like that."

"What? A bastard?"

"No; a friend."

"Tch! ...Have you heard from Reborn yet? When is he going to take you out of that psycho ward?"

Belphegor decided he was going to have some fun with the Vongola Storm Guardian the moment they met again. The bomber was just asking for a customized knife buried in his back.

"I'm fine, Hayato," Chrome insisted calmly, serenely; either oblivious or deliberately ignoring the slur in the green eyed man's words. "The Varia treats me well enough. Besides you know very well that had Reborn been back he would have met with the Boss first, not me."

"Well _enough_? The _fuck_ are you talking about?!" he growled back, pounding a fist into his desk, his eyes sparking wildly. "Then what the _hell_ is up with that bruise around your neck?!"

Reflexively, the woman's hand reached up to her neck. She had not been wearing her Varia uniform, probably because she knew the Family's right hand man and Foundation leader would not take kindly to the sight of her in it and decided on a black blazer with a pin striped white and indigo lining inside so when she folded back the hems of her sleeves the contrast was striking in and of itself. Her thigh length skirt was of the same material and color. Tucked into her skirt and underneath her blazer was a cream colored dress shirt with a black silk necktie. Her trident was still kept shortened and hanging in the special holster at the small of her back and her old boots with the chrome skull at the edge kept everything from being too formal and dressy.

In short, it did not do anything to hide her delicately pale, bruised neck.

Instead of looking battered though the hot blush that crawled up said neck and onto her cheeks only made her look seductive. The innocent surprise on her face even more so. Belphegor was willing to bet that had Xanxus been there he would have howled and growled and killed something over the fact that she would dare show such an alluring face to another man. The Prince himself couldn't help but feel like having her exposed in such a way was indecent somehow and fought the sudden urge to bury her away from the eyes of others. To be the only one who had the right to behold her.

"This is _nothing_." My, my... were her lips blushing too? Belphegor was amused by her prudish embarrassment. "Just an occupational hazard."

"Like _hell_ it is!"

"I'm _fine_, I _promise_," Chrome replied soothingly, her hand covering her neck in an almost possessive gesture. "Besides it was _my_ fault. I… hurt Xanxus, Hayato."

Green eyes widened and the bomber's jaw dropped. "What the _hell_ did you do?"

But she merely shook her head and wisely divulged any other information. "I'm fine."

"Dokuro—"

She straightened and gave the hot headed bomber a small but warm smile. "Thank you for your concern, Hayato but don't worry about me. You should only concern yourself with the Boss' safety and keep doing a good job."

Now it seemed it was the Vongola Storm Guardian's turn to blush because his pale face now smoked bright red on the screen as he sputtered. "Sh-_shut up_! A-anyway, just make sure you get the Varia to present their claim to the Boss properly!"

"…You mean they will need to be at the Boss' birthday party on Tuesday?"

"Yeah."

"Is that wise?" Concern shone on her face, a touch of sadness lingering beneath it breaking her neutral expression lightly. "Kyoko-san… Kyoko-san might not like—"

"She'll need to get used to it if she wants to marry the Tenth; did you know they just had dinner in Verona the day you were in Venice?" Belphegor found it impossible to miss the spiteful satisfaction on Hayato's voice when Chrome flinched minutely at his words. "She was a good distraction; it allowed me to keep the Tenth from coming to Venice to meet with that rat."

Belphegor tilted his face to the side like a curious bird when she said nothing and merely bowed her head low, hiding her expression from him using the veil of her purple hair. "Thank- thank goodness he's safe..."

There was a slight hitch in her voice when she spoke that the blonde Ripper did not like. It was as though she was... breaking? Surely not. What's there to cry about? Also what was that guilty look that flashed across Hayato's face just now? What was he feeling guilty for?

Belphegor's brain churned. Something about the way the silver haired bomber used his words when he mentioned the Decimo's dinner date with his fiancée sounded deliberate. _Too_ deliberate. Deliberate in a way similar to how his royal self used his knives to wound and end lives.

"A-anyway, I wanted to update you about Irie and Spanner's results." The green eyed arsonist said; a little awkwardly and seemingly unable to look her in the eye anymore.

The words sparked interest in the woman who lifted her face and watched the Decimo's right hand man with all the interest of a person who had long been waiting for answers. "What did Shouichi have to say?"

"They've managed to recreate the chemical compound that makes the weapons coated with them resistant to Dying Will Flames." Hayato told her.

Relief flooded her face. "That's wonderful. That means they can develop a way to counter its effects on our people."

"I wish it were that simple," the bomber sighed, combing his long, delicate pianist's fingers through his hair in frustration. "They can only make it work on objects but not on people."

Chrome blinked and some of the hope in her eyes died down. "But… they have at least made progress, right? I'm sure they would be able to think of a way to find what's missing."

"They think they already have," Hayato replied curtly. "But they need something to test it on."

"Eh? What is it? Maybe there's a way for me to help." She offered immediately.

Hayato scowled at her. "They need someone who has been exposed to the compound before. Preferrably someone who has had prolonged exposure or multiple contact. They… They said they wanted to do the experiment on Xanxus."

"No."

Belphegor didn't even notice it but that one word shot like a bullet of ice and ricocheted all over the room. Coupled with the sudden fire in Chrome's eye and the aura of chilling intent surrounding her the little duchess had suddenly impersonated the blonde prince's moniker for her.

_The Goddess of the Underworld…_

Even the bomb brat turned wary eyes on her. "Dokuro…?"

"If what you say is true then you will want that chemical compound introduced in his body; do you have _any_ idea how much that hurts, Hayato?" she hissed at him, her stance stiff and unforgiving.

There were no longer any traces of the cool and composed young woman who had just settled the dispute of two of the most powerful men in the Mafia world just a few minutes ago. Belphegor's nostril's flared like a panther scenting fresh prey as this usually distant, aloof woman _burned_ in the face of her protective instincts and for the first time in a long time the Varia Storm Guardian felt… envy. Envy that he was not the focus of her wrath.

"What's the matter with you?" Hayato growled back at her. "It's not like we need him to do this out of some sick fetish we need him to cooperate because it's _necessary_! Without a way to counter the compound we'll be sitting ducks out there! Experimenting on Xanxus is the only—"

"Over my. Dead. Body."

The silence that settled between the two Vongola Guardians reminded Belphegor of a mausoleum's song. A locked sort of silence that would not even allow air to pass through. Suffocating and cold; isolated and dark. Like an Edward Allan Poe story that spoke of a tell tale heart.

The silence was broken, however when the little duchess broke her angry eye contact with the silver haired Storm Guardian by closing her eyes, relaxing her shoulders and inhaling a deep, deep breath. It took her ten seconds before she exhaled again and by that time, she had effectively doused her arousing fire into a semblance of her cool, cold self.

"If it's an experiment they want then let me talk to them."

"Dokuro—"

"I'll take care of it," she cut him off with a warning glance of her eye. "There's no need to involve Xanxus and trouble him until Trinidad is free for execution."

"…You better not be planning to play the hero." The silver haired right hand man of the current Vongola Decimo narrowed his eyes at the woman much like a cat assessing prey, not fighting her anymore on her decision. "You hear me, Dokuro? The last thing I need is for you to go on a self imposed suicide mission."

"I won't."

"Dokuro!"

"I won't. I promise." And then she smiled. Just a little tilting of her lips but it lit up her face like the glow from a firefly. "You know me long enough to know that I can handle myself, Hayato."

The sight was enough to leave any man breathless.

"…Fine." Hayato agreed grudgingly after a few moments, still clearly reluctant. "Then let me get on with the other agenda."

The little duchess nodded and Belphegor waited eagerly, wanting more of the female Mist Guardian's emotions but to his disappointment, the young woman reacted in the complete opposite.

It was as though she had suddenly shut a thick door on her emotions and locked it from the inside. "The Boss' birthday party…?"

Belphegor blinked. What is this atmosphere all of a sudden?

He had once tortured a man half dead in the middle of Nevada's vast wilderness. He had sliced his legs off and waited far enough away to hear the man's desperate and hopeless cries for help. Those cries echoed again and again getting more frail and thinner as the night wore on before fading into the evening of nothingness five hours later. This tense, hesitant atmosphere reminded him of those frail, lonely, hopeless cries.

Gokudera's eyes flashed and gritted his teeth. "As a Guardian there's no choice but to let you attend the Boss' birthday but I'm warning you now in advance. Don't do anything stupid. Stay as far away from him as you can. Do you hear me, Dokuro?"

Her gaze became empty. Like a candle's light snuffed in the dark. And all of a sudden Belphegor wanted nothing more than to kill Gokudera Hayato for robbing her of that light.

"I understand." Was her quiet reply.

"…Make sure you do. Over and out."

She stood there motionless for what seemed like a long time staring at the now empty holographic screen. As twisted and heartless and sadistic as he was he could still sense the loneliness and the sadness emanating from her very soul. The fight had been bled out of her, the fire had been doused. But why is it that far from transforming into a lowly peasant harboring very human emotions she instead grew in front of him as an existence much larger than before? Just like the way Xanxus did as he lay defeated on the ground after the Vongola Rings rejected him? After they learned the shameful story of his past?

Why is it that even after defeat instead of dying and embracing their mortality they seem to have been reborn anew into something much bigger than life…?

Belphegor wanted to know. He took a step out of the shadows, his hand reaching out wanting to see, wanting to feel, wanting to figure it out for himself.

But the cold, gripping presence of another froze him where he stood.

"Touch her and I'll kill you, trash."

It was just _his_ voice; whispered and barely a sigh but it was like an icy fist that had suddenly grabbed at his heart and had started squeezing the life out of it and Belphegor felt as though he were suffocating. Breathing had become a chore. He could even feel cold sweat dripping in between his shoulder blades. It almost felt like someone had stabbed him with a lance through the heart from behind.

"Wait at the hallway for her and escort her to the roof deck. We leave for the island in thirty minutes."

The suffocating sensation left as soon as it came and Belphegor had to turn around only to see the disappearing hem of Xanxus' Varia coat trailing after the Varia Boss like a cloak as he left as quietly as he came.

How long had the man been there behind him? Why had his princely self not notice?

Instead of fear Belphegor was filled with euphoria at the incident.

His Boss was truly the _coolest_. And after what he had just seen the Varia Storm Guardian was confident that the decision that will be made tonight was the right one.

When he finally slipped out of the shadows to the surprise of the female Mist Guardian the blonde prince could barely keep himself from holding back his cackles.

**/*****/**

"Voi, Leo! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Feliciano; how's the wife?"

"Ayayay, still big with the kid."

"Good God, man, how many is it? Seven?"

"It's a man's duty to reap his seed, my friend; I'm doing the world a favor!"

"Stupido, what kind of favor is leaving more of _you_ behind?!"

The two police officers laughed as they parted to enter their offices. Captain Leonardo Guerrini, in particular, nursed a tall cup of coffee as he sat behind his desk at the precinct.

Looking at Captain Leonardo Guerrini of the Italian police department's organized crime division one would not have thought he had anything to do with the Mafia.

A good man; married his childhood sweetheart from their hometown of Sienna and had two children by her. At work he was well respected, well liked. He knew how to do his job and he knew how to do it well. Never been involved in a single dirty deal in his ten years on the force. In fact, he had only been involved with the Mafia for the past four years. Why? Because of a then certain eighteen year old Decimo who just happened to have saved him from being framed by another colleague who decided it was a great idea to get a cut on a drug operation back when he was just a lieutenant. Everyone on the force knew he was a favorite pick for a promotion back then and he guessed his old partner had become jealous and greedy.

Roman had been partners with him for five years and so he had trusted the bastard with his life. So when he investigated the drug cartel that was holding the operation he was shocked when his leads told him there was a leak in the force itself. He didn't even realize Roman had plans of framing him until someone walked up to him as he had been heading home in the middle of the night and told him they could help. Suspicious he was ready to reject the information and any 'help' they could possibly offer him but instead of slickly telling him she had an offer he can't refuse she merely handed him a manila folder filled with documents and a flashdrive before disappearing back into the shadows from where she had come from. Upon opening the folder a small insignia on the only letterhead told him which Famiglia she had come from.

Vongola.

At first back then he was determined to throw it away but he frowned when he saw Roman's profile on the same page as the letterhead. Putting the flashdrive in his computer he had been shocked at all the incriminating evidence he had found. Not only did it reveal everything he needed to bust the drug cartel legally but it also revealed Roman's plot to incriminate him and claim the cash. It was planned in a way that would taint Leonardo's reputation, get arrested for being a dirty cop and lose his chance to a promotion and have Romano reap all the rewards.

He remembered sitting in his office for hours in shock before his wife knocked on the door worriedly. That day he burned the letterhead himself, took the rest of the evidence down to the precinct and made the arrest on Romano himself.

The Vongola sent him a care package consisting of a basketful of olive oil, good old fashioned Italian bread and assorted cheeses. And a card with a small Vongola insignia that only said 'Thank you'. Since then he had a silent and secret relationship with the so called most powerful mafia Famiglia in the world. They would often send him tips and incriminating evidence and instructions on how to carry out the arrests and operations. They never offered him bribes and Leonardo took that to mean that whether or not he would use their information was his decision; something he was grateful for. Whoever it was that the Vongola had sent to deal with him knew him well and knew he would be insulted at the very idea of being bought off. And every time he did use their information the same care package would be sent to his house.

Today seemed to be another such day.

He had just come in to work, greeting co workers left and right with a large cup of espresso in his hands and intending on digging some dirt on some foreign group that have been causing disturbances in the country lately. A bunch of jokers wearing Kevlar and sporting guns and not recognized even by the elite and secretive COMSUBIN has dared chase other suspicious individuals in the streets of Venice. If it was a new mafia Famiglia out to make a name for themselves then he would have no problems crushing them all where they stood. The problem was he had no idea where to start looking for their identities since the bastards had disappeared just as suddenly as they appeared.

Sighing and consigning the upcoming migraine this was going to give him to the devil he sat down in his office and booted up his computer. When he checked his email he saw he had several emails he had to check. One of them, though, caught his eye more then the others. Why? Because it's subject was 'Dad…'. He blinked at that; he would have thought it was one of his sons sending him the email for whatever reason; it happened occasionally when they had plans they couldn't talk about in front of their mother. However his children called him _Papa._ He clicked on it, opened it and prepared himself for the worst. He almost spat the coffee he had just sipped at the screen.

Subject: Dad…

Attachments: 1

Paulo Dela Torre.

Shaking, he set his coffee cup down on his desk and glanced carefully at the email address that sent the message to him only to notice that it was not his son's email address. It was only different by one letter that he didn't notice it until he double checked. Which meant… Leonardo opened the attachment. Documents popped in cascades all over his screen. Along with it were a list of names.

"Well, son of a bitch…" Captain Guerrini muttered as he filled his eyes with the documents.

He knew without having to guess that this was sent from the Vongola. He had received some of these emails with vaguely similar content before. For a time he thought he was just being used to further their interests but whenever he checked his own sources and did his own investigations he had found that every single detail they had sent him was accurate. There were no twisted truths or shady business. If the Vongola was profiting from these people being arrested then he did not know how and much though he hated the thought of abetting criminals like them he could not deny that the people they wanted to put away should be the major concern for the people of Italy. And this was a major example.

Still, though, the Vongola cannot be serious in entrusting him alone with this kind of responsibility. It would bring his credibility into question; not to mention his purpose for suddenly pursuing so many people all at the same time. Divulging these many names involved in so many illegal activities within the Italian government would probably mean they wanted these people arrested or questioned immediately and he can't do that alone without looking like he was just doing this to make a name for himself all of a sudden.

"Captain Guerrini, are you there?!" Leonardo looked up to see a fellow captain barging into his office with a tablet in his hand and was hollering in disbelief. "The email?! Did you get one too?!"

Leonardo looked behind his colleague only to see a majority of the precinct all wearing the same expressions of disbelief and confusion and had to resist a smirk. So this was the plan. The more people in the department knew the more impossible it would be to suspect anyone of being in the Mafia's payroll. And because of this a lot of the rookies will want their little piece of the pie and this would be a great opportunity without stepping on each other's toes. Genius.

"Don't just stand there;" he commanded as he got up his chair. "Start working!"

Again he checked the list and winced at the sight of all the important names involved in whatever it was that had made the Vongola this angry. He was going to have to go straight to the Secretary of Defense. It was going to be a very busy day.

**/*****/**

Lal Mirch watched Trinidad's limousine leave the Spanish consulate through the sight of her favorite Falcon sniper rifle.

Perfect.

She had only been in Milan for the day because of a favor from Iemitsu asking her to tell some loyal friends of the Family to keep their heads down. These particular Family members were borderline civilian so they did not have access to the technology the other Family members enjoyed. The CEDEF leader was worried the sudden stir about Mafia members would render these precious, anonymous informants in trouble so he sent her personally. And that was then she heard of the juicy gossip about Trinidad in the country and after a few hours of staking out the Spanish embassy her patience was rewarded.

Opening the comm link in her ear without taking her eyes off the limousine she got in touch with headquarters.

"All done, Lal-dono?" Basil asked, as polite as ever.

"Who cares about some random errand Iemitsu had for me Trinidad's right _here!_ Should I engage him now?"

"Please do not! Chrome-dono has requested he be free to leave Italy!"

"What? _Why_?!" the former COMSUBIN instructor snapped angrily. "We're _this_ close, Basil. If we get rid of him now we'll be saving ourselves a lot of trouble!"

"She has requested to hold off any and all attempts on Trinidad's life," Basil tried to calm the woman down. "Come now, Lal-dono, she's just following standard procedure. Getting rid of him in Italy would not do any good since Spain would just want him back. She is merely trying to prevent an international incident."

Lal's left eye twitched at the fact that she couldn't even talk over that reasoning and gritted her teeth.

She was close. _So close_. Like a hunter sighting a deer in her sight after days of tracking it down. One little shot was all she needed and everything would end. They would be rid of the rotten worm once and for all. Sadly she knew Chrome was right to tell them to hold back and allow the bastard to get away.

It was not that simple when dealing with politicians. A great amount of finesse and diplomacy was needed. Arranging for them to be completely and absolutely guilty before killing them was one of the requirements to taking them down completely and not have the Mafia blamed. Have them judged before the court of man before they faced the sentence of Mafia law. It was a tried and true tradition and a well known tactic. The public wouldn't care about a convicted man, after all. In their eyes, a guilty politician was as unsightly as a common thug.

Damn it.

She was so looking forward to dealing Trinidad the final blow especially after she had seen the video of the Floris Family's execution. When she found the link she literally saw red and the only thing that kept her from personally kicking the bastard's ass was Chrome's email a few hours later with a list of all the people they were supposed to get their hands. Lal was both annoyed and pleased with her former student's brilliance.

The failed Arcobaleno knew all these people. Most of them had contacts within the military itself and so must have made it possible for them to move the military and its resources without any problems. Paulo Dela Torres' position in the senate would have covered for them if anything went wrong so the 9th's lawyers would not have been able to touch them. As far as the legal system was concerned, the military was clean. Only a criminal investigation unit within the military would have been given a right to accuse them of anything.

If they made one reckless move then it was all over.

"_Fine_;" the scarred woman sighed. "Have you heard from the Iron Fort yet? Has Sawada issued any orders?"

"Nothing from Hayato-dono as of yet. However, the Tenth Generation has sent us an engraved invitation for Sawada-dono's birthday party next week. Master wants you to come back and prepare for it."

Lal scowled; she already knew Iemitsu was going to have her accompany him to that damned party which would mean he was also going to force her into a damned dress. Well at least Colonello wasn't around to see it. "Fine; how about those geeks in the lab? Any word?"

"Not yet; I suspect that if they do have something by now they must be keeping it to themselves for a reason."

"Those eggheads," Lal fumed. "When I see them at the party I'm going to give them a piece of my mind."

Basil sweatdropped on the other line. "Lal-dono, please calm down? You know Irie-dono has a rather... sensitive disposition."

"Oh he'll be sensitive alright," Lal replied with a vindictive gleam in her eye. "I asked for results a month ago and every time I call to get an update they gave me _nothing_. I'll slap him around so hard his face will puff up like a damned balloon. I'm coming home, Basil. Over and out."

With one last bloodthirsty look at the Spaniard's limousine Lal turned away, coal black trench coat over her clothes and all and disappeared into the crowd of people who made up the city of Milan.

**/*****/**

"No rush, Ramon, let them wait."

"Of course, sir."

Proud was the only word Cornelio could call himself right now as he settled back into the rich Corinthian leather that made up the seats of the government issued limousine the Spanish embassy had given him.

With the arrest of an entire Mafia Family he had instantly managed to acquire the unwavering trust of his country's congress and countrymen. Sure they were small and hardly significant but that did not matter to the general public. As far as anyone else knew there was one less power hungry group in the world.

His fame became instantaneous; his existence widespread and now he was hailed by law enforcers as the 'Messiah of the New Generation' especially by organized crime divisions worldwide. All because he had managed to crush a bug under his foot. And now he had spent the rest of the week being invited to other countries to give his speeches and share his knowledge and strategy on how to catch the criminal vermin that made up these syndicates. This week the country that had issued the invite was Italy itself and Cornelio it would not be long now. He had long ago established firm footholds in the Italian government to ensure their cooperation once this moment came and it would all only be a matter of time before all the Mafia empires crumbled at his feet.

There have been no attempts in his life so far and he regarded this with a sneer. The whole Mafia community must be quivering in terror at the mention of his name now. He could not help but feel smug. They should now know their place.

Pasha and the rest of his security detail however did not trust the sudden lull of mafia activity around him hence the motorcade and Spanish flags on the hood of his government issued car when he left the Spanish embassy that evening to get to the press conference arranged personally by a good old friend and one of his contacts in the Italian government.

No one can touch him now.

Briefly, an image of Rokudo Mukuro flashed through his mind and he paled in fear for a moment before his face went red with rage. The next time he saw the illusionist again, the man was dead. That man and Xanxus were cut from the same cloth and Mafia or not the blue haired man was too dangerous to leave alive. And by doing so he knew he would be doing her a favor and free her from the clutches of the demons holding her in thrall.

The thought of Chrome Dokuro calmed his mind. The memory of how she entered his mind and snatched what she wanted like a thief exhilarated him. He could still feel her guilt and hesitation and gentleness even as she put him in his place that day. She had abilities he just knew she did not want and now that he had personally met Rokudo he understood why she was utilizing her God given gifts in such a way. It was Rokudo's fault. That Hell spawn had corrupted her. Twisted her mind and used her as a devil's instrument. But one meeting told Cornelio that the male illusionist as not able to taint her soul. She could be saved. And he was just the man to do it. And when he had her heart... the possibilites would be endless.

Cornelio's mind went back to Chrome Dokuro's existence and he closed his eyes. He was convinced that she was driving him insane.

She was an elusive one, as expected of a top class illusionist. He had done research on her kind and was horrified to find out that she could use an ability that was similar to witchcraft. That alone should have repelled him however, as he continued to find out more of her history through his own sources within the Mafia who had turned on the Famiglias he had found out that she would not have become the way she was had it not been for the possession of Rokudo Mukuro.

The memory of her gentle gaze... the sweet plaintive look on her face as she shielded Xanxus from him... What else but an angel could have that kind of kindness; what other creature but an angel could bestow that kind of mercy. He was sure that with her by his side she would be able to take him to the heavens away from the chaos of the world and be delivered by God's grace. There was no other way... Only she possessed the wings to carry him higher. Surely God had sent her from the heaves to aid him… It was only through an unfortunate state of events that led her into the arms of the devil. It was up to him to snatch her back and reintroduce her into the life. He was sure Fernando only wanted her only for her power and perhaps she knew that. Perhaps that was the other Spaniard's mistake. An angel would be able to sense greed and would refuse anyone with an avaricious heart who wanted to control her. No, his amethyst angel would stay out of reach… waiting for his chosen hands to get a hold of her wings and—

"We're here, senator."

Cornelio blinked and realized his chauffer had already opened the door for him. As he got out he wryly noted how he seemed to lose track of time whenever he thought of that woman. Was he in love? Perhaps he was. Well then if that was the case then that would only sweeten the pot even more, he thought as he stepped out of the limo.

"Thank you, Ramon." He let himself out and stepped onto the red carpet, already feeling and hearing the flashes of cameras and questions by the reporters held back by the Italian police's security.

"Cornelio, my good friend!"

The Spanish senator looked up to see his Italian counter part walking over to him from the hotel's entrance with open arms; a grin so wide on his face Cornelio wondered how face has not been ripped off yet.

He greeted his college classmate with a warm hug and a smile that turned even brighter as both he and Dela Torre turned towards the cameras and reporters with their hands clasped in a tight handshake; his other hand on the Italian senator's shoulder in a gesture of tight alliance before he led the Italian senator over to the press conference tables to answer questions from the reporters.

"It's nice to see you again, old friend!" Paulo greeted him heartily, giving him a hearty slap on the back. "How have you been?"

"Oh the usual," Cornelio replied casually. "Not that different from college really."

"Ayaya, you naughty dog, you!" the Italian senator started waggling his brows. "Still very popular with the Spanish señoritas, I see."

Cornelio chuckled. "Not as popular as you are with your Italian beauties, Paulo."

Paulo laughed out loud. "Just don't tell my wife!" His face then turned serious. "Thank you; you have no idea what your appearance here means to me."

"I keep my promises," Cornelio flashed another charming smile at the random flash of a camera as he patted Paulo on the back. "Have you managed to meet the Vongola Decimo?"

Paulo scowled. "He was supposed to meet with me earlier this week but he cancelled at the last minute. I'm pretty sure it's because of a woman."

Cornelio smirked at the sneer Paulo had hidden beneath a hand and he gave him another reassuring pat on the back. "The more distracted he is the better for us. Evil is smug and they can be as confident as they want to be. Eventually, their vanity will be their downfall. What news of our other friends?"

This time, it was Paulo's turn to smirk. "As the executives ordered they are scattered around the different government branches in the law enforcement and judiciary department; our assets from the police were the reasons why this press conference was possible; I had them put pressure on the other departments and made a lot of noise in the media. We tried staging a few... incidences. Strangely, though the local riff raff don't seem too eager to work with us. Their loss, though, not ours."

"Of course they would hesitate," Cornelio rolled his eyes at his Italian counterpart. "They're part of that filthy circle. If they are found out there would be no where for them to hide. How about using your police officers?"

"Well... That..." Paulo fidgeted; they were nearing the table facing the chairs where several reporters were already waiting. "No one wanted to volunteer. They were quite concerned about their... families. You know how the Mafia could be?"

"Don't I?" the Spanish politician scowled, remembering the day he witnessed Santiago's death.

"Don't worry," Paulo told him with an oily smile Cornelio was too busy remembering that dark time to notice, though. "Justice will prevail."

At their secret call sign Cornelio turned over to Paulo with a grateful smile and nodded. "Let the wronged have their vengeance."

Had Cornelio been a little bit more jaded he would have figured out that Paulo was merely using his idealism to secure his own political career but he had been college friends with the Italian and Paulo had listened to him rant about his ideas of vengeance and his hatred of the Mafia. At first Paulo had always seemed bored; merely listening to him because Paulo had not exactly been very popular himself since back then. But eventually his ranting attracted other people with outstanding family backgrounds and credibility. And the the first members of La Justicia Pasada was formed before they even graduated. Seeing people who actually believed him and who were willing to support him aroused his courage and made him double his efforts to succeed. They all did. As far as he was concerned there was no taint of doubt in his mind for any of the members who founded the movement with him.

Paulo led him to comfortable chair on the right of the podium where the microphones were all set up before walking up to the pulpit himself and greeting their excited audience. Cornelio was pleased that the reporters all seemed eager to hear what he had to say. It was a good sign.

"Good evening," Paulo started as he beamed at their audience from the podium set up in press conference room, trying to be as charming as he could since they were being broadcasted live all throughout Italy. "I— Paulo Dela Torre am throwing my full support— even sacrifice my career as a politician in order to support Senator Trinidad. Hence I am currently urging our government to approve of my bill to seize all accounts and assets of every don of every Mafia Family we discover. As you know our friend here from Spain is visiting to aid us and our boys from the Organized Crime department in regards to our generations old problem. The Mafia."

There was uproar with the reporters as each and every one of them excitedly tried to throw their questions at them all at the same time.

Senator Dela Torre smirked at them all smugly and Cornelio allowed him as he merely sat back and relaxed, allowing his old college classmate to bask in the spotlight. He had known Paulo as unimpressive but ambitious so he knew the man could at least impress this crowd. If it had not been for Paulo's influence and contacts then he would never have been able to get that modified Boeing in Italian airspace and attack Varia's fortress. If it had not been for Paulo he would not have had the contacts and assets he needed to keep tabs on the major Mafia families and their various activities.

Yes, Paulo can handle this at least.

He listened as Paulo continued to rattle on about the bill he was pushing and inadvertently hinting at his next reelection while speaking to the resporters. How his proposition to give the senate the power to seize all Mafia don and doña's assets upon suspicion of criminal activity would be beneficial to the government and the population of Italy. Personally Cornelio cared nothing for the immense amount of wealth and power that came from the filthy Mafia. All he lived for was their demise.

"Now, now, I would love to answer all of your questions but I think it would be better coming from the man himself," Paulo chuckled at reporters and smoothly gestured towards his Spanish counterpart in a sign to take over the floor. "I present to the people of Italy our good friend! The one they call the Modern Day Messiah! Senator Cornelio Rivas Solano Trinidad of Spain!"

Cornelio sent his applauding audience his most charming smile as he stole away from his day dreams and into the man the public saw him as; he waved to them politely before taking the podium from the other man.

The Spanish senator now proceeded to speak in fluent Italian. "I am honored to have finally met the charming citizens of Italy; I confess that this is the first time I have set foot on these lands and so far I find that the men are strong, the children are kind and the women are truly beautiful."

Cornelio nodded as the audience ate up his lies. In truth he hated this country. With its loose codes and its even looser morals. If they were as upright as they thought themselves to be then they would not have allowed such an infestation like the Mafia live past the age when they would have been so ingrained in their society that it was difficult to weed them out from among the ordinary people. Still he kept his smile up and waited for them to quiet down.

"I have been quite fortunate that my good friend and your senator, Senator Dela Torre has given me this chance to help your police into ridding this country of the criminals who feed on your hard earned money and makes a mockery of your lives as good, honest, hard working individuals." he was answered by a few murmurs of agreement. "I myself have fallen victim to their abuse and their cruelty as well. The way they had ended the life of my friend and his family! I have seen what they can do and I shudder at the damage they can do to anyone else! So I swore to myself a long time ago that I will do everything in my power to save all humanity; all the good people of this great nation and mine from the wickedness that is the Ma—"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

Paulo's outraged voice caught Cornelio's and everyone else's attention and they all turned to the seat on the left of the podium to see him surrounded by what seemed to be... policemen.

"What is going on? Who are you?!" Cornelio demanded as Pasha and the rest of his security surrounded him protectively. "What are you doing to Senator Dela Torre?!"

"Captain Leonardo Guerrini, Italian police, sir. Nothing special here, just a routine arrest." a man wearing a tan coat answered him shortly before jabbing his chin towards the purple faced Italian senator. "Senator Paulo Dela Torre, we have evidence that you have endangered the safety of the Italian government and have committed a capital offense. We have orders to take you into custody. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you. You have the right to an attorney…"

"LIES! I'LL HAVE YOUR JOBS FOR THIS!" Paulo screamed, still resisting the law enforcers even as his face turned pasty white.

Captain Guerrini sighed and jerked his chin at another police officer. "Cuff him."

"Unhand me! How dare you!" It it took two policemen to get his hands tied in plastic twine.

Cornelio could only stare at this, stupefied; not knowing what to do.

"Paulo... I-is this true?" Damn it! How could they have possibly have known?! Surely there must be a way to salvage this situation or all his plans will fall apart! "They are lying, yes?"

"YES THEY ARE!" Paulo struggled in futility. "NO! I am— I am being framed! C-Cornelio, help me!"

"We have evidence, senator, as well as witnesses," Guerrini replied to the Italian senator's defense. "It will be very hard for you to weasel out of this one."

"Witnesses?"

Cornelio's face curled in anger. "Paulo... How could you?"

"NO! Cornelio, I don't know what they're talking about! Please!"

Cornelio went puce with rage and betrayal mixed with confusion fueled his anger as he condemned his erstwhile friend. "May God strike you where you stand!"

As soon as those words were out of his mouth something strange happened. Paulo stopped struggling, his eyes went wide with terror and he suddenly crumpled to the ground.

"NO!" he started screaming. "NO! PLEASE! I ALREADY TOLD YOU EVERYTHING I KNOOOOWWW! AHHHHH! PLEASE STOP!"

"Senator!" one of the police officers rushed and tried to get him to come back to his senses only to pull back in horror at the sight of his mouth frothing. "Damn it!"

"Someone get a doctor!" the detective with the trench coat yelled over the crowd.

The Italian senator was now struggling against his bonds and screaming as though he were... being flayed alive.

Cornelio could see the ground start to get slippery wet with the man's own urine and no matter how much the police tried to calm him down, nothing could be done. Senator Paulo Dela Torre had gone mad.

"Senator, we should leave." he vaguely heard Pasha mutter beside him and felt himself being ushered out of the hotel.

His second in command sat in the limousine with him and as the vehicle passed and joined the rest of Milan's evening traffic his shock started to thaw and was replaced with rage.

"That stupid, stupid fool!" he pounded his fist in his seat as Pasha sat across from him expressionless. "The press conference is ruined! What are we going to do now?!"

"Please calm down," Pasha started. "We can still make it; if we deny any connections with Senator Dela Torre and use our other Italian assets we could—"

RING RING RING…

"Hello?" he glanced at the caller id and Cornelio's eyes widened as he recognized Fernando's number. "Fernando! Where the hell have you been?! I have been trying to contact you and now Paulo is being—"

"I told you to stay away from the Vongola's allies; that you can do whatever you want with the Varia but to leave the others alone for now," Fernando's deep voice cut his rant off and made Cornelio still. "But you never listen."

"T-that was necessary! We were moving too slow and we needed a demonstration of our pow—"

"You now have have the strongest Mafia family in the world after your beating heart; this would have been a lot more easier had you just stuck to the plan," he heard Fernando sigh in exasperation. "Had you acquired Señorita Chrome for me first and stuck with the original plan this would never have happened."

"ROKUDO MUKURO ATTACKED ME FIRST!" Cornelio shouted into the phone, spittle flying as he yelled. "What was I supposed to do?! Let them do as they please?! If that is so then what in the world had we been trying to be so strong for?!"

"I told you to be patient," Fernando told him coldly. "I even allowed you your little games with Xanxus to try and keep you calm but you ruined it all. How are we going to take her away from the Vongola now, you fool?"

"We can set things up and speak with her again! I am positive that once she realizes what a monster Xanxus is she will turn her back on him!"

"…Did you know that all your Italian assets are now frozen?" Fernando's tone was quiet now. So quiet it made Cornelio stop breathing. "Did you know that the only reason you are not about to face an inquisition once you come back to Madrid was because those same assets are now frozen because of crimes totally unrelated to our cause?"

"W-what?" The senator's brows furrowed in confusion. "H-how can that be? All of them? No, it must be a coincide—"

"Coincidence?" the Spanish Mafioso mocked him. "Did you know that Chrome Dokuro had just left Venice four nights ago? And yet— coincidentally— not even a week later— every single seed you have planted in the Italian government have been arrested and effectively immobilized."

"F-Fernando, I don't understand… What is going—"

"That's right, you understood _nothing,"_ Fernando cut him off. "I already told you to be wary of her. She may not look much but she is not the Vongola Mist Guardian for _nothing_. Instead, one small taste of her power and you became greedy."

Cornelio sneered. "Don't act like you don't want the same thing! You were ready to give up your own Familia for her and I know why. That power, Fernando… The Vongola does not even seem to understand the kind of power she holds."

"That is because the Vongola are arrogant and their current head is weak," the sneer on the other Spaniard's voice was evident at the mention of the Vongola Decimo. "He does not even realize what his own Guardian had done for him."

"Done?" the senator scowled. "Fernando, what do you mea—"

"Farewell, mi amigo," Fernando's voice turned from dark and bitter to mocking once more. "This may be the last time we speak again. Don't even bother trying to pull me down to your hell with you. If the Vongola wants to keep the peace, they will not dare suspect me. Adios."

Cornelio was left with the sound of the dialtone in his ear.

"Sir? Are you alright?"

Cornelio glanced at his chauffeur from the limousine's rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of his face. He was as white as death. "Just take me to the embassy. And I want a plane out of this godforsaken country immediately!"

"Yes, sir."

Cornelio tried to call Fernando's number again. But the number he dialed was no longer in service. He threw the phone on the seat across from him with a curse.

The silence echoed in the luxurious limousine like a boulder falling into a pond.

**/*****/**

The sound of surf and wind and the distinctive smell of salt caught Chrome's attention and seduced her eyes to turn towards the sea just below the window she was standing in front of. The evening was deep enough to produce heavenly bodies but the clouds that night were so thick that it held no hope of stars. It made her melancholic but it also comforted her in a way. This was an atmosphere she was more than familiar with; the dark isolation of loneliness. The soothing peace of a safe darkness. It helped keep her mind away from her last conversation with Hayato…

Again her heart welled with agony and she had to swallow hard several times to keep the lump in her throat down. The night was not over yet, her work was still not done. Although Basil had managed to do what she needed him to do in just a few short hours she knew that she needed to keep the public interested in the arrests until the Boss made a decision. But with even all her might she knew she could only keep this up for a week tops. There was still much to do.

She allowed the fine smell of the sea soothe her. Allowing its dark and dangerous mystery to surround her and give her energy. This was probably her biggest difference to the Boss' other Family members. Where the others looked to the light for strength she tended to turn to the darkness. It was another reason why she should keep her distance.

Her mood a little better she opened her eyes and peered at the brightly lit coast of the island to her left. The bright lights crawling all over and lighting the beaches below in flames of brightly lit sand.

Devil's Island was a much livelier place than the name implied. The Varia and her had arrived a little over three hours ago while the rest of the Varia officers went about the business of meeting and greeting the guests to what she thought was a conference to inform them of Varia's plans for Trinidad. Chrome was given a room off the back of the high class casino the conference was supposed to be held so she could finish and oversee the chain of events that she set into motion the moment she left Venice with Xanxus.

Like Mafia Land it was carefully hidden from the eyes of the public and passage is restricted to people who were specifically invited. It was littered with casinos, hotels and several other pleasure ridden facilities including a promiscuous and highly accommodating escort service. Having had S level clearance to such information she knew about the place, of course but this was the first time she had ever been invited to the Varia's prime territory. Whenever the Boss was invited over Hayato or Takeshi or both would accompany him…

"Lady Chrome?"

Chrome turned halfway towards the unfamiliar voice who called her name just in time to hear a menacing growl from her feet and a flash of white glow in the darkness to shield her from the potential harm. The female Mist Guardian took pity on the quaking man who entered her presence without proper warning and laid a soothing hand on the Liger's striped mane.

"It's alright, Bester; I'm fine." The ferocious box animal did not back down but the stripes that made him all the more menacing and dangerous receded leaving pure white fur. Chrome rewarded the liger with a smile and a pat before cooly looking up at the seemingly astounded Mafioso. "Yes? How can I help you?"

The man was dark skinned, wearing a mohawk and muscular; wearing the usual dark suit and tie that was common for most Mafioso. If she remembered correctly this man was the one who managed Xanxus' hotel here on the island as well as his other affairs. His name, however, escaped her at the moment. He sketched a hurried, respectful bow when she addressed him with a silent nod. "B-Boss Xanxus says he wants you at the party."

"Eh?" Chrome straightened, ignoring the overgrown feline's tail as it swished and caressed her hand. "I thought there was going to be a meeting with Varia and the rest of its allies there?"

"That's right, Lady; they are all about to start the meeting." The lone man said.

Chrome's brow furrowed in confusion. Lussuria explained to her that this was a meet up of all the dons loyal to Xanxus and that this was an ocassion where each and every one of them renewed their vows of loyalty and paid tribute to the Varia Boss. When they landed she distanced herself from the party thinking she would not be welcome to such an event being since she was a Tenth Generation Guardian. "Then I shouldn't intrude."

The man swallowed. Hard. "P-please, Lady; the Boss said if you don't show up he would make me swallow my spine."

Chrome barely held back a sigh. Really, Xanxus made the most outrageous demands. "Alright. Come on, Bester."

The mafioso who had come to fetch her bowed to her respectfully as she passed him by, Bester following her faithfully and haughtily as though he were the owner and her the pet. The box animal reminded her so much of Xanxus that it made her smile and run the back of her hand over the silky white mane tenderly. As though against its will and better judgment, Bester let out a gruff purr.

Her smile faded however as worry invaded her thoughts.

It had been three days since she had seen Xanxus; they have not been able to see each other since they returned from Venice not even during dinner. She worried even more when Bester made it glaringly obvious that he was left behind to tail her every second of the day. And while she enjoyed the comforting presence of the Sky Liger she thought he would serve his master best by being with Xanxus. She didn't understand why the Varia Boss thought she needed his box weapon at her side when he knew she would neither run nor be able to use it. When she asked Lussuria just told her he had gone to see someone and the only thing that kept her from following him was Levi's absence as well which meant that wherever it was that the Varia Boss went he was not without protection.

She missed him, she had realized after the second day of his absence. She missed him and it was not because she eventually found out that the man had the entire eastern tower room renovated for her use out of his own pocket. No, she missed him because this was the first time in a while that she had not been within touching distance of him after she was shot and her body which always felt chilled yearned for the blazing warmth of his presence. She hadn't even realized she had grown used to being held so close to his chest when he carried her around during her recovery. Or when he allowed her access to his body, massaging his pains away until he fell asleep beneath her. It was not like she had not touched a man before but the heat his skin emanated was... different from other men. She had touched Mukuro-sama, Boss and Hayato and while they were warm with life and were special in their own way Xanxus was... something else.

Mukuro-sama's skin felt cold like hers. Like touching marble or a statue of glass. Only the friction her skin made against his gave it a spark when he held her hand or kept her close.

Boss' warmth was peaceful. It was as though touching him made her calm down instead of the other way around.

Hayato's warmth was turbulent. Chaotic. Confusing. Only calming after she had soothed it.

Xanxus' warmth however... She closed her eyes at the memory of it, pulling the feeling out of her own memories. Xanxus felt as though he had a fever. It was akin to touching fire. Whenever she touched him she felt like she was being thawed.

And far from hurting it actually made her feel... free. Like she could breathe again for the first time after being imprisoned in ice for so long. She wondered if Squalo and the others felt the same way whenever they were with the scarred man. If so then she understood why they could never leave him. In her case when Reborn finally comes back like it or not she would have to leave.

She was going to miss them all.

Only the mohawk haired mafioso opening the double doors for her told Chrome that she had reached her destination. He bowed low and she nodded to him gratefully before straightening her back and chin and walked in the crowded room. As soon as she did all talk stopped and every single person there turned to stare. She kept on a neutral face but inwardly Chrome couldn't help but feel self conscious.

Was there something on her face? She was pretty sure she hadn't had anything to eat since lunch so she washed and brushed her teeth properly before they left the fortress.

Maybe it was her clothes?

There were no other ladies present so all the men there wore different styled suits and tuxedos most of them dark colored although there were the exceptional teals and reds. She didn't think her black blazer with the sleeves folded back along with the sleeve of her indigo undershirt to reveal a quarter of her bare forearm, black tie and black skirt covering half her thighs looked out of place. She always wore this style at the Iron Fort along with her usual boots and she thought she looked like a proper subordinate. Was it the trident she was wearing slung across the small of her back perhaps? We're they afraid of it?

Bester walked ahead of her and growled at the assembly as though daring each and every one of them to touch her.

Perhaps they were staring at the box animal? Silly her, it must be that.

Or maybe…

"What is she doing here?" she heard someone hiss from somewhere in the crowd.

"Who does she think she is?"

"Is that who I think it is?!"

"The Mist Guardian..."

"Not just any Mist Guardian; it's the weak one."

"The weak one; she doesn't belong here."

Last option then.

It was like déjà vu all over again.

Men with killer eyes stabbing at her with their glares as she walked alongside the members of the Varia, condemning her for the ring on her hand and the name she carried.

But Chrome was with Xanxus and the rest of the Varia today and she would be damned before she shamed any of them.

She shouldn't really be surprised. Like Gennaro many disapproved of Sawada Tsunayoshi as Vongola Decimo. Many thought he was too weak, too timid, too tolerant. If they only knew just to what lengths he would go to ensure their safety…

"Silence!" Chrome blinked and turned to see who it was that dared defend her in this room full of haters and her gaze widened at the sight of none other than the Sulis Boss standing in her way. "Show some respect! This is the Lady Chrome Dokuro!"

Chrome blinked at the Gennaro Sulis. That was the last thing she had ever thought the man would ever do for her.

"Lady Chrome," he greeted, his voice as rough and gruff as the last time she heard him even as he knelt on one knee, head bowed and hand on his heart. " It is an honor to meet you again."

"Signore Gennarro," she greeted softly, blushing a bit in surprise at the complete 180 his attitude had taken. It was true that he seemed a bit more... accommodating when she left Venice four nights ago but she thought it was because Xanxus was there. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

"Grazie, Lady."

"I hope you have been well," she couldn't help but smile down softly at him. "Everything is still alright in Venice, I hope?"

He looked up and seemed stunned by her regard. "Everything has been done as you ordered, Lady; there have been no mishaps since then."

"That's good," she replied with a nod. "It would be best to keep everyone safe."

"Lady, your concern gladdens my heart." the minor Mafia Boss reached out to touch her hand but a menacing growl and a flash of colors stopped the man.

In a split second Chrome found herself surrounded by animals. Very familiar box animals.

"Ushishishishi."

Chrome blinked in surprise at Mink hissing on her shoulder at Gennaro after chuckling. A flash of green and blue made her look behind her to see Livya floating at her back. Her head turned back around and saw Squalo Grande Pioggia circling the air around her head like a shark scenting prey. Pea-chan squawked sternly at Gennaro on her left, his tail fully spread out and Bester, of course, snarling and showing all his teeth in front of her obviously wanting to tear Gennaro apart.

The other guests could only gape, gasp and step back at the scene. It cannot be mistaken as anything else. It was bizarre, unnatural and utterly impossible but the reality glared at them at that moment. It was obvious that all the Varia's box animal weapons had stepped in to protect her.

"Stop!" Chrome couldn't help but blurt out, releasing her own box animal and using Mukurou to surround the poor Mafia Boss with a barrier of Mist just in time to save him from Bester's jaws. The female illusionist was sure they made quite an awkward picture.

And there was an explosion of muttering.

"Woman," the familiar baritone made the female illusionist's heart sing in her chest. She didn't even realize that she had missed his voice too. "Come here."

The familiar, gravelly voice seemed to have stopped even the flow of time for everyone in the room as the sinister aura that came with that voice slipped through. Chrome herself tilted her head, searching for the voice's owner but unlike the others in the room who felt as though they have been turned to ice, the moment she saw the figure of the Varia Boss sitting on the far end of the drawing room settled on a grand chair fit for a king. For everyone in the room the sight of the Varia Boss must have inspired fear and awe. For her, the sight of him alive and well made her heart flutter in relief.

Hayato's words returned to her. About using Xanxus for experiments. A fierce protectiveness exploded in her heart at the very thought. She was not going to let him be hurt by anyone. Not if she could help it. Xanxus deserved better than that. He was not a good person… he had killed a lot off people heartlessly, brutally… But his heart, though withered and well hidden was there, beating deep in his chest and bleeding color into his eyes.

He was warm… Just like the blood helping his heart beat…

Forgetting everyone else around her and vaguely noting that the box animals have returned to their owners Chrome almost ran to his side but forced herself to keep a steady pace. As she came near she noticed that the other Varia officers were all already there surrounding him.

Squalo was on his right just beside his armrest. Levi was a little behind his left. Lussuria was at the bottom of the dais where his chair and side table was and Bell was sitting on the middle step leading up to their Boss.

A small smile appeared on Chrome's face at the sight of them all together in their Varia uniform so strong and ruthless. As she came closer it almost felt as if... as is she were coming home. Even though she was not wearing her own Varia ensemble. It almost brought tears to her eyes, the joy they brought her just by being here.

Stopping at the foot of the elevated dais with Xanxus looking down at her with seemingly bored crimson eyes, his chin on the back of his hand and his legs crossed she allowed a bit of her joy to leak out through a small smile on her lips and the light in her eye before she put a hand in her heart and bowed her head to the Varia Boss humbly and paid her respects.

"Xanxus-sama."

Xanxus felt his chest vibrate with that same emotion he remembered the first time he heard her say his name. And still, after all this time, he felt himself sit up a little straighter; his heart clench a little tighter and his thoughts drain of anything and everything but her. But now, instead of angry confusion he now understood it for what it was.

Awareness. An acute awareness that someone he wanted was calling out his name and his instinctive need to respond to it. To come to her when she called. And it was all he could do to keep himself in that damned chair instead of getting to his feet and going to her side the way Bester and the other box animals did when they thought she was in danger.

"Woman," she raised her head and when he met her gaze Xanxus felt as though his heart would burst. Because there was no longer indifference in that gaze like before. Right now that gaze shone with amethyst joy when she saw him. And he had to grit his teeth hard to keep from destroying everything and everyone around him so it would only be the two of them left alone. So he could bask in her joy in private. It took his supreme resolve to pull out the words he needed to say and keep his mind on the task at hand so he could get his plans moving. "Stand with me."

She looked up, surprised at the command and opened her mouth to try and humbly protest but then she was reminded of the glares behind her and the people who already thought of her as unworthy. If she refused she knew that she would not only be embarrassing Xanxus she would also be admitting that she was not worthy to be here and that would acknowledge that her Decimo was also unworthy.

Curbing her own modesty she lifted her chin and ascended the five steps that took her to Xanxus' left and sat at his feet, her gaze staring down at the lot of them daring them to remove her.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Xanxus-sama." was all she said.

"Hn." the Varia Boss grunted, pleased that she chose the perfect place to position herself.

She was silently telling everyone in the room that although she was subservient to him she was still above everyone else. Other women in her position right now would have gloated; smirked down maliciously at the men who dared insult her openly just now promising revenge and retribution. She merely sat at his feet coolly; beautifully showcasing those impossibly long, flawless legs she had left exposed tonight... Like a silk laden queen looking down at the court she was gracing. There was no question that she was worthy. And this was the perfect time to emphasize that point to every single person under his protection.

Squalo glanced at him and caught the edge of that crimson stare and took it as his que. "VOIII! We'll begin the Vongola Style Birthday celebration right now!"

Chrome gasped, her eye widened into saucers before she turned it to Bel who was waving from the step below her.

"Ushishishishi~ Curious, mi piccola duchessa?"

The female illusionist blinked and nodded once.

"What is today and what is the Roman numeral for it?" the Bloody Prince gleefully whispered his riddle.

It only took a moment and realization hit her like a splash of ice cold water. Her eye turned towards Xanxus with her heart in her throat and a feeling of hurt, shame and disappointment flooded her chest.

How could she not have known it was Xanxus' birthday?!

"To start with the gifts…" a man, obviously a lower ranking Mafia Boss, stepped forward with his right hand man and bowed to the Varia respectfully with a smirk. "I shall give out the order to have a politician disappear for you. My boys found out he's working for La Justicia Pasada this morning and I'll be more than happy to give you his head."

Chrome's breathing stop. They couldn't possibly be referring to…

"Ushishishishi~ Your 'boys' didn't happen to get this information from the news, did they?" Belphegor asked, his tone mocking.

The minor Mafia Boss swallowed hard and took a step back. "I-it's all over the news! T-the point is that we need to take action!"

"He's right!" another minor Mafia Boss exclaimed from the middle of the assembly. "We need to teach those bastards a lesson! How _dare_ they operate under our very noses?!"

"We can't let those fucking government employees think they can run circles around us!"

"Yeah!"

"YEAH!"

"Wait." Chrome's voice was cold and struck like a whip in the dark and unexpectedly, the Mafioso in the banquet hall stopped and stared at her in surprise, not expecting her to speak. She pierced them all with a cold, amethyst eye trying to hide the sudden panic that was starting to bubble up in her. "You will do no such thing. Not until the Vongola Decimo says otherwise."

The men sneered at her. "Stupid woman! How dare you speak out?! You're a nobody!"

"Don't you flash that ring at us!"

"That means nothing, you fake!"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi is not the _real_ Vongola Decimo!"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi is the one who ordered that the men arrested for having had connections with La Justicia Pasada be held down for the time being. They are bait and their arrests are part of a bigger plan! A plan being formulated that will not end up in more deaths and loss of businesses!" Chrome stared them down. She was used to the insults but if these people interfered with her plans and attacked the politicians being investigated by the police then blood will run through the streets of Italy. She took her trident, elongated it and stood up, her flames glowing dense around her. "The Vongola Decimo is currently planning retribution for all the assaults of these people against the Vongola, particularly the massacre of the Floris Famiglia.

"You might have no faith in him but I do!" Chrome slammed the end of her trident on the floor, power sparking off of her like a dense cloud. "And I will _not_ hesitate cutting down _anyone_ who will interfere with these plans. So take my warning and _stand down_."

For a moment all the angry mobsters in the room seem to have realized the difference between her and them. That she was not just a woman spouting nonsense. That despite her weakness she was nonetheless a person of _power._ She was about to breathe out a sigh of relief but it was cut off by the defiant shouts before her.

"HA!" another man spat at her feet even though his knees had started shaking. Like all the other men there it was not easy to accept that this pale skinned woman held such power. It must be an illusion created to fool them! "Make me, bitch!"

"Boss Xanxus, do you even hear this slut?! Are we just going to let these brats run the Vongola to the ground?!"

"Voi! Shit for brains," Squalo growled, suddenly standing beside Chrome, his eyes and voice bloodthirsty. "Do you even know who the fucking hell even found out about those fucktards being allied to La Justicia Pasada in the first place?!"

The question silenced the group, confused until another Mafia don spoke up. "Why… Isn't it you, Boss Squalo?"

"Wrong." Surprisingly, it was Gennaro who spoke and everyone turned to his calmly seated form nursing a thick glass of bourbon. "I was there in Venice when Lady Chrome extracted the information from Dela Torre. She put the fail safe into his brain too. From now on the bastard gets to relive the torture she put him through whenever someone says the word 'God' in his hearing."

Disbelieving and confused murmurs littered the entire hall; incredulous and skeptical. Who could blame them? They knew nothing about what the Tenth Generation Mist Guardian could do. Had it been the male Mist, the Storm, the Rain or the Cloud it would have been different; they have all showed their skills and have made names in their world. The female Mist, however, was an unknown variable. Not even worthy of a second glance.

Chrome blinked. She didn't know Gennaro knew about what she did to Dela Torre. And then she remembered the man was in the same room as her and Xanxus when she… interrogated the man.

He saw her surprise and lifted his glass of bourbon towards her in a toast as he smirked at her in a friendly manner. "I saw the press conference earlier. I've been wondering why the good senator couldn't remember anything after you were done with him and why you allowed him to walk. I figured it out after Trinidad renounced him in Milan in the middle of Dela Torres' arrest. Touché, my lady."

The rest of the Varia turned towards her in wonder when she slowly dissipated her flames but kept her trident ready at her side. Her eye too had turned back to its darker, more sincere color. And then she spoke in another attempt to pacify the people around her.

"Gentlemen," her voice was calm but cold and reasonable. It was the tone she reserved for hard negotiations. She made sure the proper amount of respect was there and hoped her appeal would be heard. "I understand how you feel; the Floris Famiglia was a friend to the Shimon which is a valued ally to the Decimo. You can rest assured revenge will be given to honor them. But at the moment we need to remain as an entity apart from the politicians held by the police. This way the police will leave our businesses alone and not stop us because we are trying to turn a political scandal into a gang war. I am _not_ asking you to cower; I am _not_ asking you to run away. I am merely asking you to be _patient_."

Silence met her words; she actually presented a good point. If they left things to the police for now they would not fear persecution from either the government's side or La Justicia Pasada's side. Business can continue as usual. There was no need to worry.

But prejudice did not die so quickly.

"And why should we trust a Vongola Guardian?!"

"Yeah! The only one we obey is Boss Xanxus!"

"Your words mean _nothing_ here!"

Chrome felt hopeless as she listened to their roars. She knew she would have no problems taking care of all these people here but it would take too much work and there was no guarantee of complete obedience. If she used her powers too much she knew something was going to give.

If only the Boss was here… She was sure he would have been able to fix everything. To put everything in harmony as an all encompassing Sky…

"Woman," the din turned quiet when Xanxus spoke and Chrome looked up at the still sitting Varia Boss. "What is this bullshit? And on my birthday too."

Chrome felt her blood had frozen even as shame colored her face. Oh how could she have done this to Xanxus?

She came over and stood before him with a bow of her head. "I am so sorry, Xanxus-sama! Please wait just a little bit longer!"

"You really think these scum will listen to you?" he drawled, staring at her with those wine red eyes; questioning her… Doubting her… Her chest gave out a painful sting. She did not want this man doubting her abilities to protect him. "Think again. They're not the kind who'll listen to just anyone. They follow the Varia for a reason. Why do you think that scum Gennaro suddenly took your side? He's obviously seen the kind of power you hold back in Venice."

"Please do not worry," she allowed determination to seep into her voice. "I will do everything in my power to stop them from causing you trouble."

"Cause _me_ trouble? What are you talking about?" Xanxus sneered at her. "These idiots wouldn't be able to cause me trouble if they tried. They are nothing more than insects that I can crush any time I wanted. It'll probably irritate that brat that is your Sky, though."

Chrome didn't know what to do. She was so confused and a little bit frightened. What Xanxus said was true, after all. He didn't need to worry about war; he _flourished_ in war. But the Boss… her Boss… It would trouble the Decimo greatly if she couldn't keep this under control. The Boss had sacrificed too much making sure there would be no wars left in the Mafia world. She would be _damned_ before she failed him.

Ice crawled from her heart straight to her head and settled in her eye to make it a hard, unforgiving jewel sparking with her will. "I'll kill them _all_ if I have to."

"You can't do that," the Varia Boss sneered at her. "You know better what kind of trouble you and the other brats will have if you did something _that_ stupid. Vongola Guardian or not you'll be hunted down. The other brats along with you by association if they don't participate in the fun."

He was right; it was a big risk. She needed to calm down. She needed to fix this. If she didn't things will not go well for a lot of people. "What do I have to do?"

Xanxus' sneer fell off his face as he stared up at her; even the Varia around them stopped and stared at her in wonder. Chrome did not care if she shed her ice in front of these people. It was like Venice all over again; the threat to the ones she loved the most overwhelming her sanity and consumed her until the only thing that would satisfy her was the elimination of its danger.

It took a while before Xanxus managed to yank himself back on track; his smirk now dressed in malicious unholy glee. "There's another way."

"Say it." She hissed between clenched teeth. "I'll do _anything_."

"Anything?"

"_Yes_."

"…Even if you become bound in another contract?"

"I'll do anything to keep my Family safe."

The scarred man smirked triumphantly and held his left hand, palm up beside him. Lussuria handed something to Squalo and the silver haired swordsman— still stunned by the scene the female Mist Guardian had shown them— handed it over to the scarred Italian. Chrome watched and saw a small black box covered in velvet resting in the previously empty hand.

"You keep that in mind for later, Dokuro; because there's no way in hell you'll be able to back out of this now." Xanxus wasn't even fazed. In fact, he looked absolutely _thrilled_.

Xanxus flipped the small box open and took something out of it before grabbing Chrome's left hand. Before the female Mist Guardian could register what was going on she felt something cold and solid slip right onto her fourth finger. The feeling of curiously warm metal burned into her flesh…

And the feel of a secondary Flame rising from within her.

The banquet hall was completely silenced as the unexpected booster made her Cloud Flames lash out from her left ring finger. Her wide gaze stared at the sudden outpour from her hand as she stepped back from Xanxus in alarm, afraid of harming him. It took all her courage not to scream in fright. She had used and trained with Hibari to control her Cloud Flames before when Lal-shishou discovered it but even back when she was still untrained she had never seen it lash out this powerfully, this _destructively_ before. It felt like a broken faucet; the water streaming and pouring out of it uncontrollably, wastefully. Wanting only to _consume._

"LISTEN UP, SCUM!" Xanxus' rough, booming voice suddenly enveloped the entire gathering as he stood up and addressed the entire assembly. Chrome would have looked at him if she wasn't busy trying to control the sudden outpour of power trying to lash out and destroy anything and everything that was near her. "FROM TODAY THIS WOMAN IS UNDER MY COMMAND! A PART OF VARIA! ANYONE WHO CROSSES HER CAN CONSIDER THEMSELVES DEAD! SO IF ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO DEFY HER JUST STEP ON FORWARD! CAUSE I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT KIND OF SHIT HIS BRAINS ARE MADE OF!"

Finally Chrome managed to pull the Cloud Flames back into her skin and the effort left her panting and flushed and kneeling at Xanxus' feet, her right hand clutching the wrist of her left that now bore a symbol that made the guests take a step back in shock… and then bow before her. While the other members of the Varia watched her with a mixture of pride and smugness.

Chrome, in the meantime didn't know what to feel.

Because at that moment, right there on her hand, was the unmistakable sight of the Varia's Cloud Ring.

**/*****/**

**A.N.**: Please Review…? (T_T)


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

"More booze, Boss?"

Xanxus' response to Levi's question was to raise his large crystal goblet which his Lightning Guardian filled to the brim with golden liquid as he sat on his large, well decorated, throne-like chair watching his loyal subjects celebrate his day of birth.

Wine and food flowed freely and as the night waned the revelry became noisier and rowdier. It would have been pleasant overall but the splendid food tasted like ashes in his mouth and the wine was made of piss for all he cared and everything could be blamed on one person.

_She had not talked to him all night._

All. Fucking. Night.

Not after she gathered enough strength to get up from the floor after his announcement of her promotion. She had stayed away and stood guard over him from the bottom of his dais like a statue.

And Xanxus was fucking pissed about it.

He gulped down another swig of vodka, needing it to numb the emptiness that constantly plagued him only this time the booze wouldn't do its damn job. His was almost hazy but the emptiness still wouldn't go away. It was like a fucking vacuum sucking all his senses and feeding it to the blackhole that was his soul. Incidentally he caught Squalo's eye; the silver haired swordsman silently eyeing him with angry concern.

Xanxus glared back and drunkenly flipped him the bird.

His Rain Guardian scowled murderously at him and stood by his side, vein popping in his temple in an effort not to yell at the scarred Italian in front of the guests.

"You're sulking." The shark dared accuse him, voice dripping with disgust.

"Go fuck yourself."

"What the hell just happened? You look like someone pooped in your steak."

"..."

"Voi, Shitty Boss, what the—" and then realization made Squalo's ice blue eyes widen and follow Xanxus' line of sight, his eyes telling the silver haired swordsman just who it was that was taking over their Boss' mind and mood and sure enough saw Chrome Dokuro in the middle of the party surrounded and graciously talking to several Mafioso who were now eyeing her with both respect and wariness as well as a little bit of curiosity while Bel acted like a little blonde guard dog making sure none of them dared touch her and Lussuria hovered like a homicidal gay mother hen. The Rain user sighed in exasperation. "Well what the fuck were you expecting? Of course she'd be torn up and confused. She'll be serving two masters now and you didn't give her a fucking choice in the matter. The last thing she'll want to do is get down on her knees and give you a fucking blowjob."

Xanxus flushed as the image of Chrome Dokuro kneeling between his legs, desire gleaming in her eyes and the blush on her skin as she lovingly licked the tip of his arousal assaulted his half drunk brain.

In an attempt to get rid of the image he did the only thing he knew how.

_CRASH_!

"_FUCK_! WHAT THE _HELL_, SHITTY BOSS!"

Xanxus ignored his second in command now dripping with vodka and shards of the crystal goblet he had been drinking from earlier and calmly gestured Levi for another one and a refill while trying to get his breathing to even out again.

It was not easy.

Especially since he was now sporting a raging hard on that would make a whore scream for mercy.

Fucking shark didn't know when to quit.

"VOIIII WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM, DAMN IT?!"

When Squalo realized his screaming was not getting a reaction from the dark skinned Italian anymore he stomped off in a huff hoping someone was dumb enough to take him on so he could get his irritation out of his system. He made sure not to wander too far from his Boss, though.

The revelry continued and Xanxus sat through all of it. He might be known as a man who did what he wanted with no rhyme or reason but like all leaders who at least have the common sense the size of a damned pea there were just some things he can't grunt his way out of. A Varia version of the Vongola style birthday party was one of them.

The Varia's version of a Vongola Style Birthday Party was admittedly not as glamorous as the original; Xanxus would be the first one to admit to _that_. For one thing, the Varia— although exceptional— was not so powerful that they could fulfill a single person's ultimate desire. Xanxus always thought those promises were ridiculous anyway. It would be too easy for the Vongola had the wish of the victor been one of success, or fame or fortune or power or all of the above. The Vongola practically swam in those promises anyway so it was easy to share the wealth especially to those they have always deemed worthy.

The Varia, however, although wealthy in their own right, cannot share its wealth so easily. For one thing they had a greedy Mist Guardian who would probably _flip_ at the very thought. Mammon would probably kill the poor winner first before he shared any of the Famiglia's money. Fame and Power and Success were not something they could influence permanently anyway since their existence required them to be fleeting shadows in the dark. What they _can_ give with complete, utter confidence and a hundred percent surety were death, dismemberment and fear.

If the gift ranked high enough he and his officers can take on any job the winner wanted absolutely free of charge no matter how hard it was, no matter when, no matter _whom_ they had to kill, mentally scar and/or dismember. As long as the person was outside the Vongola alliance or the Vongola's protection _everyone_ was free game.

Mammon had grumbled about this quite a bit each year but even the Mist Arcobaleno could not argue with tradition; warped up and crude as it is. The little illusionist eventually found a way to charge that same person twice for at least one job he asked for in the future.

At the moment the person with the leading points belonged to the head of the Vienetto Famiglia who had presented Xanxus with a pair of rather beautifully crafted, circa 1800, multi-barreled dueling pistols complete with a full set of live rounds.

Xanxus was not going to lie. He loved it. The craftsmanship on the handles alone made it a masterpiece not to mention it could be modified to his liking so he could control just how much power it could unleash.

He couldn't _wait_ to shoot something with it.

He made a conscious effort _not_ to look in _her_ direction again for the rest of the night. Damned woman was a mood killer; he'll deal with her later. Besides it wouldn't do for his men to see just how… interested he was with her. Although they all knew better than to question him Xanxus knew better than to obviously flaunt this newfound weakness.

But he couldn't deny that she was there, on the edges of his mind. Like a shadow at the corner of his eye he could never get a good look at.

And it made him grit his teeth despite his platonic behavior.

Damn her.

By the end of the night the points were gathered and presented and the victor was finally announced. He usually allowed Squalo full reign on who won since the shitty shark could always tell which one of them he favored. That and the fact he was usually too drunk to give a damn by the end of the evening anyway.

"VOOIIII! THE VIENETTO FAMIGLIA WINS WITH 87 POINTS! COME OVER HERE AND PRESENT YOUR REQUEST, TRASH!"

Xanxus noticed Lussuria lick his lips and leer at the man as he came forward and bowed before the Varia Boss and his Guardians.

The head of the Vienetto Famiglia— Cesare Vienetto— was a strapping man in his early forties. A tall man with classical Italian features complete with the olive skin, ebony hair and piercing blue eyes that cut through a soul like a rapier. He was an oddity in the Varia's circle of followers simply because instead of acting like a basic barbarian like Gennaro Sulis he acted like an aristocrat and looked the damn part too. Oddly enough Xanxus did not treat him like trash the way he did Ottavio back in the day. Mammon had checked the man out and had confirmed his loyalty a long time ago because although he looked and acted like a high society fop the man was nothing more than a ruthless, cruel swindler who respected and followed Xanxus without question. He was also one of the few idiots suicidal enough to correct him when he or any of his officers were doing something wrong in his eyes. He couldn't remember where he heard it from but rumor was he was invited to join Tyr's officers a few years before they discovered Shamal but had to refuse since he was the heir to his own minor Famiglia opting instead to give his loyalty and support to the present Varia as an avid supporter instead.

"What is it, trash?" Xanxus' low rumble filled the space between them, his crimson eyes looking down at the man from higher position. "What did you come here for?"

The man bowed in respect to the man sitting on the dais five stairs above him sincerely. "Yes, sir. I have recently made a new, profitable acquaintance. A rather ambitious brat expecting a rather hefty trust fund from a billionaire father who refuses him access until he reaches a certain age. He owes me… well quite a bit of money so I struck a deal with him. I will help him acquire his trust fund in exchange for the entire amount and then some as well as access to his father's many businesses. Of course when I gain access to this… business opportunity my Famiglia's contribution to the Varia will increase quite a bit as well."

It was a win win deal; the kind that Mammon loved and Xanxus was almost sorry the Mist Arcobaleno was not here to hear it.

"Alright," Xanxus nodded once, still focusing those scorching garnet eyes at the man before him. "Which one of us do you wanna use for this job, trash?"

Belphegor stood up and fiddled with his wires, Levi stood stiff as a stick, Squalo slashed his sword in the air with a smirk, Lussu preened and Chrome… well she merely stared ahead of her. Like a statue in the corner almost as though she was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Too bad such a thing will not work in the Varia. With them the more you slide into the shadows the more noticeable you became.

And Cesare's calculating eyes predictably locked onto her form. "I would like our new Cloud Guardian to do the honors."

"Why you fucking—"

Several things happened all at the same time as soon as he cursed.

Xanxus sprang from his chair with a gun in his hand, Squalo stood in front of him with his sword arm blocking his Boss' path— a way to keep the peace—, Levi reach for a parabola, Belphegor tilted his head back and laughed maniacally all of a sudden with knives in his hands while Lussuria started cracking his knuckles and neck with a crooked grin.

Only Chrome's intervention saved the man from certain death.

"I accept." Was all she said.

"WHAT?!" Xanxus roared, his eyes on her spitting fire.

Squalo and the other officers stopped and eyed her with understanding, however. They all went through the same kind of shit when Xanxus chose them as Guardians as well. They knew all too well why Vienetto chose her.

"If you will leave your contact information with the manager of the hotel I will speak to you about the details later." She continued, completely ignoring the scarred Varia Boss. "If you will allow me a few moments I will prepare."

All everyone in the room could do was blink when Chrome Dokuro turned on her heel, bowed to Xanxus respectfully and then dissolved into indigo Mist which fled the room gracefully; the scent of night blooming jasmines and moonlight following it leaving a stunned audience and a very angry Varia Boss who forced himself to sit down and silently flicked a finger to tell Cesare that his request was granted and everyone should continue celebrating. Everyone did so without a second thought and Xanxus bypassed the decanter straight for a bottle of tequila waiting in a box full of ice behind his chair.

It wasn't an outrageous request; it was not something they could stop. Vienetto merely wanted to test his chosen Cloud and give her the opportunity to be known and be feared and reach the kind of prestige each and every one of his other Guardians enjoyed. Her notoriety would be well documented and known once it was demonstrated officially among his allies no one would dare disrespect her ever again. It was a form of hazing to new officers, really, Cesare was just trying to help… Although no one expected anyone to have the balls to do that again after Bel went on a goddamned killing spree during _his _mission for an ally so he could prove himself to the rest of them.

Had it been anyone else Xanxus would have never said a word. Unfortunately the bastard picked the _one_ person the Varia Boss did _not_ want to share with _anyone_ _else_ at this point.

The scarred Italian cursed himself as he sat there seething and drunk. How _dare_ she take on a job without consulting him first? Hadn't she learned her lesson yet? Was she showing defiance? Rebelling at his decision to give her the position of his Cloud out of the fucking blue like that?

He tried to tell himself he did the right thing. Tried to tell himself he was _not_ fucking _scared_ that he had displeased her with his arrogance. He remembered the concern on her face when she asked after his fever, the relief in her voice after she saved him from Trinidad, the feel of her all trusting and warm and soft in his arms. The scent of her, the sound of her and the tears she shed when she realized she had hurt him and how his surprising her by making her wear his Cloud ring must have damaged all that trust and affection…

The thought made him inwardly shake in anxiety. With humiliating clarity he realized that needed her trust, he needed her affection like an addict needed his damned crack. If she left now because he lost her trust then…

_'I… I will request to remain with Varia until I am sure you are all absolutely safe from them.'_

_CRASH_!

"B-boss!"

Seeing Levi kneel on his right confused him for a little bit until he finally understood that he had been so frustrated, so angry that he had crushed the bottle of tequila he had been holding onto; the feel of the alcohol burning his cuts barely registering in his numb mind. All he could do was watch his blood drip onto the floor and think that she should be thanking him by being here right now tending to this damned wound and not making such a goddamned flashy exit and _defying_ him.

_Bitch_! She was a fucking, fucking _bitch_ to make him feel this fucking messed up. He was _Xanxus_, damn it! To make him feel as though it would be worth it to get down on his knees and beg her to let him explain himself and absolve him was…

"_Shit_!"

"Don't worry, Boss, I'll get Lussu and—"

"_Get the fuck off_!" Xanxus slurred and knocked his Lightning Guardian over before clumsily trying to stand up.

It took a while for him to steady himself, propping a hand against his arm chair and waited for the world to stop twirling like a fucking ballerina.

"Boss...? Wait! Boss, where are you—"

"I'm gonna take a piss, motherfucker; what, are you comin' with me to shake my dick for me too?" the scarred man snarled.

Levi had known him long enough to be hurt by the outburst but Xanxus scowled as the man looked… apprehensively towards the banquet hall's doors and the scarred Italian nearly hit the afro headed man when it dawned on him that the fucker was probably worried about what he'd do to the woman.

Settling for baring his teeth at the Lightning user in warning he stepped off the dais and out the banquet hall, ignoring the garbage now staring at him as he passed by as though he had lost his mind. He made sure he didn't so much as stumble in front of the fuckers. He'd rather die than have these scum see him looking so weak.

Walking along the hallways freezing from the cold sea air that blew from the windows littering its left the scarred man appreciated the numbing sensation of the near freezing climate. It gave him back some of his lost senses and driving the effects of alcohol away from his hazy mind. He ignored the hidden and scattered presence of the rest of Levi's squad in the shadowed nooks all around him, ensuring the wing's security and was pleased that at least the fuckers were doing their job. Chrome would probably be giving them some sort of fucking reward later. The woman fucking spoiled them too much.

The Varia Boss snorted at that and kept walking.

Squalo was right; she didn't belong with them. She was too kind; too honest too… _everything_. Sometimes he wondered how they could standing being in her presence without shriveling up and dying the way they did when in the presence of Sawada Tsunayoshi for too long. The Tenth Generation Boss and his Guardians have a brightness to them that made his fucking eyes hurt just being in the same fucking room as them. The self righteousness in their auras made him want to puke his brains out. But she was different. Her light was cool and soothing…

_Probably because her warmth was like moonlight_, a thoughtful voice that sounded too much like his father whispered in his thoughts. _It is bright but it does not burn…_

Xanxus blinked in surprise when he found himself standing in front of her fucking suite's door and staring at the obstacle like a damned idiot.

A damned _hungry_ idiot.

When the hell did he get here? Was he so obsessed about her that his feet actually found its way outside her room? A sense of déjà vu hit him as he was reminded of the night he had found her in his room with Lal. When he found out just what she thought of _him_. How despite his flaws she saw him as someone great, someone of substance.

Someone worthy of her misguided affections…

Scowling and wary of the eyes watching him from the dark Xanxus sucked in a breath and reached for the doorknob with the intention of yelling an explanation out of her.

The knob did not budge.

His eyes widened in anger and he hit the thick door with a fist.

How _dare_ she fucking lock the _damned_ door! He _owned_ her! That ring made him fucking _own_ her. She had no _right_ to lock the damned door on him! He really should kick the damned thing down, confront her and… And then what?

Tell her to make him the center of her universe? Demand that she revolve her world around him? Make her kiss him and hold him and let him have her...?

"Fuck this!"

_He was screwed_, he realized as he kept staring at the doorknob continuously contemplating if he should break it off or not. They might as well fuck him sideways and call him honey because this woman was twisting his brain in ways that left him even more insane than he already was.

Xanxus hit his forehead against the wooden surface of her door and took in a breath; wanting to fill his head with her scent and search for the warmth she gave him with her presence. The one he had realized he had been feeding on since he decided to personally see to her comfort after she had saved him… The one he had missed having these past four days as he plotted and schemed to trap her into wearing that damned ring. After he heard of her opinion of him while she spoke to Lal that night and hope sprang in his chest that maybe— _maybe_— she could look at him and see something… something she could want? Something she can't live without?— he had already doomed himself.

The Trap, Lal had called it. The Trap of deluding one's self into thinking there was more than what was actually there.

When did his lust for her turn into something deeper? Something needier? When did he start wanting more than just a quick fuck from her? When did he start picturing himself meeting her at the door after a long absence with smiles and kisses and loving touches and more...?

_Fuck_! He never needed any of those things! He wasn't a fucking child anymore! He didn't _need_ her!

With heavy, sluggish, reluctant movements, Xanxus peeled himself away from her door and started for his own room with new resolve.

He'll fucking prove he didn't need her. He'll drink the rest of the night away and he wouldn't fucking get the chance to think of her. She was just a goddamned _female_.

The other scum could handle the chaos out in the banquet hall without him; he wanted to go to sleep and forget this day ever happened. It wouldn't be the first time Squalo covered for him. For the record this was the shittiest birthday he had ever had.

He headed for his room, still angry and confused and unspeakably hurt. The moment he closed the double doors to his suite he approached the sidetable next to the comfortable chair in front of his lit fireplace to help himself to some ready brandy… Only to stop at the feel of a familiar Flame present in the room. He turned around and there she was.

She was still wearing her suit minus the black necktie leaving three of the top buttons undone. It looked as if she had been getting ready to undress when she decided to suddenly invade his room, filling it with her addicting scent that calmed him even as it frustrated him beyond sanity. She was staring back at him and his lips turned dry at the turmoil he saw in that one eye.

He didn't mind of course. Aside from the fact that he could barely breathe because of how fast his heart was beating at the mere sight of her. His anger and anxiety all melting away like butter under the sun in the face of her tortured face. As though he had sentenced her to a life of torment instead of handing her everything he had to offer on a fucking silver platter through that one ring that amplified power.

Pride helped him form the angry words in his mind. "How dare you take on a mission without asking me first?! How dare you run away from m—"

"Why?" her pained whisper was as quiet as always; her words trembling in the space between them and cutting him off as simply as scissors on a string. And for the life of him Xanxus couldn't hold his fury in its usual place so occupied he was with that one tortured question. "Why me?"

He shifted to face her fully, muscles flexing in an automatic response to her nearness. Squalo was right, she was torn and confused and upset. It was a while before he could swallow enough spit to help make the words come out of his throat. "Why _not_ you?"

"There must be others… An elite ton of people who are qualified to get this ring… Why give it to me?" she took a step forward and he could see the frustration and confusion much more clearly. "I know that this must be a part of your plan to rattle Bossu but you don't know what giving me this power entails—"

"Don't tell me what I don't and don't know, woman!"

"Then _why_?!"

The words fell from his lips without him even knowing it. "Because I'm selfish. Because this is how I want things to be. Because you belong to me—"

"I already told you I can't stay! I don't belong to you! Making me your Guardian is not going to change that!" she cut him off and all Xanxus could feel was a thrilled kind of disbelief.

Somehow, her bursting out like this calmed his temper down. Watching her lose her temper made her seem… not so out of reach somehow. Anger meant she was not indifferent to him. Anger made her human. Human made her corporeal. Corporeal meant he could touch her, chain her, lock her in a room and possess her. She was not going to dissolve the minute he touched her and escape him.

"Why the fuck not?" he snarled quietly, studying her face and body language with the calculation that made him so deadly in battle as he accepted her projected challenge. "Is it because you think you're too good to join the Varia? Is that it?"

"NO!" she protested, her hands clenching each other to her chest. "You _know_ that's not true! I hold the Varia in the highest possible—"

"Then why _not_ you?!"

He watched her close her eyes as though the sight of him sickened her and the gesture froze Xanxus' insides and left him feeling nauseous. How many times had he found himself under such disgusted scrutiny from his stepmother and all the other 'ladies' who thought they were too good for him? How they would reject his very presence with just that one simple gesture?

The thought of her rejecting him this way made him furious enough to want to fucking wrap his hands around her neck and squeeze while his want for her made him want to kiss the soul out of her all at the same time.

And then in a blink of an eye she moved. A small blade forming from Mist in her hand that she was suddenly holding against his jugular while she hissed brokenly up at his face.

"I am _poison_, Xanxus-sama!" this close he could see the glint of an unshed tear glinting in the dim lighting of the room around them even as she bared him her teeth; her anguish as visible to him as anything that was real and solid. "I am _dangerous_! You don't know anything about me! Given the right command I can _kill_ you in your _sleep_."

Had Xanxus been any other man he would have been flailing in frightened confusion by now, convinced that he was about to die but instead he was far more fascinated by the agony in her eye. At the depth of hell her soul was in at that moment. A hell only someone like _him_ could appreciate. A hell he knew all too well.

"I know that you have a Black Mark on your CEDEF file."

He watched as she forgot to breathe, her gaze widening in shock and surprise. Xanxus could have easily disarmed her then and there but he also knew he did not need to. She was as trapped by the situation as he was trapped in the emotions she influenced in him. He didn't even know how much he wanted to see her lose control until she started snapping at the seams right then and there.

"What?" was all she could say looking him straight in the eye.

"You think you can hide something like that from me? Woman, you're way out of your league. I had Squalo do some digging; find out why you were being treated like a fucking leper by the people up top," Xanxus thrilled to the fact that she hung onto every word coming out of his mouth. Watching him as closely as he had been watching her. The feeling of holding her undivided attention was exhilarating. "I can put two and two together; I'm willing to bet my fortress that you've made your bones a long, long time ago unlike those fucking pansies your Boss call 'Guardians'."

She struggled against his verbal hold and utterly failed. "That's not true; the others have proven their worth and they have performed their duties—"

"Not like you," he cut her off with a sneer despite his hungry eyes. "You've tasted blood on your hands. I've seen it for myself back in Venice; you were ready to kill Dela Torre; there was no hesitation in you. I know the eyes of a person who has bathed in the blood of others before; fuck, the Varia practically trail in the blood and gore when they come back from missions. The moment you shed your mask I could have smelled it a mile away. You fucking _reek_ of dead people."

Xanxus was fascinated by how she unraveled with every word he spoke and knew he had just hit pay dirt. She was falling apart right before his eyes and he loved every moment of it. Having control over someone else had always inspired triumph in him but with her… The idea of being able to move all her fire, all her passions at his whim thrilled him and aroused him in a way that made him high.

It was like dominating a force of nature; and Xanxus loved nothing more than controlling the impossible.

"You're not even going to defend yourself, aren't you?"

She shot him a cold look, showing him impressive control. "You think you know me. You really don't."

_Yeah_, he thought. _This might not even be the tip of the iceberg if she could still look at him like that after fucking with her mind_. "We'll fucking see."

"…It's not the same for Hayato. Or Hibari-san." She replied after a while, her voice quiet and still not denying his words.

"Tch," Xanxus couldn't help but scowl at the sound of her voice calling out some other man's name. "That Skylark has always been an exception to the rule so that's not surprising but the _bomber_…? I should have more respect for the brat, after all then."

Feeling helpless, she shook her head at him. And in her voice was a desperate hopelessness he wanted to take away. It did not escape Xanxus' notice that her hold on the blade over his neck did not even shake throughout her internal struggle. Amazing.

"Why are you being so stubborn? Don't you realize what you're trying to do?" she raised the hand wearing the Varia's Cloud ring to show him even as she gritted her teeth on her next words. "With this, if I wanted to, I can destroy the Varia by making it bear all of Vongola's sins! I can run you to the ground. _All_ of you."

"Then do what you want," he stared back at her unflinchingly. "I don't fucking care as long as you sink along with us."

Amazement and disbelief fluttered across her face at his words. "Xanxus-sama—"

"The first time I saw you, you were nothing but a puppet on strings pulled by the will of Rokudo Mukuro; never once had I ever expected you to make like Pinocchio and be a real child," His smirk widened even as he ran a finger delicately over the curve of her cheek making her blush despite the chill around them, despite the blade still threatening to slice into his throat. "They 'created' you, didn't they? They made you _useful_. Able to do anything and everything for the _fucking_ Vongola. A tool, a shadow, a dirty little secret. You're _perfect_ as my Cloud Guardian. You are _made_ to be Varia."

She looked taken aback at hearing her words thrown back at her and if Xanxus were any other man he would have felt guilty. But he was Xanxus, after all. His remorse was burned down into ashes when it stood in the way of what he wanted. So he held her gaze steadily and pitilessly. She should realize it by now; there was no way out for her. He had sealed all other entrances and she was trapped in the web that he had woven for her.

_She was his._

"You can't be serious about this," she replied after a few moments. "I'm already the Vongola's _Mist_."

"So?" he shrugged as though the position meant nothing but used toilet paper wiped on somebody's ass. "Ditch it."

"Over my dead body." She hissed back fiercely.

"Then I guess you'll just have to fucking live with two rings on your fingers from now on."

"You're being unreasonable!"

"I don't care."

"You don't understand," her voice was plaintive, gentle, pleading. There was no anger in her only anguish. And none of them were even directed at him even though he was the one practically tearing her soul apart. "You can't share me with _him_. You deserve someone so much better. Someone who will be loyal to you and _only_ you. Like Squalo or Levi or every single person in that party just now. Not me. _Don't choose me_."

Xanxus scowled. "You're telling me you can't be loyal?"

"I am _sworn_ to him!" she hissed at him. "If he tells me to jump I'll ask how high? If he tells me to fall I'll drop into the sea without a word. If I were given the order I would not hesitate to hurt you! Please! I don't want to be close enough to do that! Take it back! I'm begging you!"

So she was not concerned about being his Guardian at all, she was concerned about serving two masters at the same time. He supposed he should be angry and he _was_ to some extent but her show of loyalty and honesty and sincerity just made him want to have her _more_.

She was the kind of person who would be true to her choice come what may; the kind of Guardian who would serve her purpose well. The kind that would make a decision and take all the crap that would come later if anything went wrong and accept absolutely _none_ of the glory that came with its success judging from her non-existent popularity in their world. Did Sawada know he had such a person in his Famiglia? Was that the reason why Reborn said it had been near impossible to tear her away from the Vongola Decimo's side?

If so then Xanxus could understand.

If he had such a person by him… Someone who was willing to carry the burdens of the Family to keep him safe, to carry on his will despite his hands being tied up by the whole goddamned democracy surrounding the Vongola then he would also cherish her. He would fucking put her on a pedestal and _bind_ her to him. Keep all that loyalty— all that quiet _passion_ to himself _for_ himself. Her being here meant that the brat couldn't protect her.

God, Sawada Tsunayoshi was a _fucking idiot_. He didn't deserve her.

"Why don't we put that to the test?"

Sadistically he smirked pitilessly and his eyes gleamed maliciously as he moved his neck to push against the blade she was holding against his jugular letting himself be impaled by the weapon; ignoring the danger she presented.

She gasped in horror, releasing the illusion instantly before the blade could pierce his dark skin and Xanxus felt both her hands gently cradle his neck in worry as her tears finally fell. "Xanxus-sama!"

He watched her with hooded eyes as she scanned his neck for injury. He was so close he could feel her trembling against him. It was fucking irritating how her worry made him feel warm inside the way only alcohol could. But the warmth she inspired in him… it was more satisfying than any booze he had ever laid his hands on.

"You're being unfair…" she whispered hoarsely as her worry melted into one of relief when she was assured she did not harm him.

He watched her lower lip tremble and felt his mouth go dry. "Fair never got me the things I wanted."

She looked him in the eye and again he saw that soul crippling understanding and acceptance of him and all his flaws and it made him fucking _ache_. As though she had flayed his very skin with that blade that disappeared into vapor.

And then she smiled.

That unforgiveable, fond, gentle smile so warm, so fucking loving it made the steel in his nerves melt and he was lost again. The power he had over her just a few moments ago evaporating in so much _nothing_ so hard and so fast he felt his knees go fucking _weak_.

"I suppose that applies to both of us."

Any other person would have said that with a sneer knowing exactly just who he was. This unquestioning, adoring expression… This accepting tenderness… Despite what she knew of him… What was it about her that always left him feeling tainted and understood all at the same time? Who cared?

He wanted it all.

Could anybody blame him if he flipped customs and traditions the bird just to have it?

"I guess now I understand why Mammon-san changed his name when he swore himself to the Varia." She muttered before stepping back from him.

And as though she was determined to break all his expectations the woman moved before him with wraith-like grace and knelt at his feet on one knee, carefully taking his bloody hand in hers. At first she seemed taken aback by the wound she had not been able to notice when he first entered the room but then acceptance once again claimed her expression and she brought the bloodied hand to her face, not at all minding the crimson liquid staining her porcelain skin and tainting her perfection. He almost growled at her to stop when she even brought it to her lips and her kiss touched the ring that matched her own.

"I don't want you to think that I never wanted to be at your service. Chrome Dokuro can't swear a binding oath to you since she can only be bound to one master. But you have won my trust, and you have my heart. I want to give you all of me but not as the Vongola Mist Guardian. So as of this moment I, Nakayama Nagi, accept the position as Varia Cloud Guardian until you see fit to take the title away from me," he heard her whisper against his skin and Xanxus felt every word crackle through him like so much electricity running through every fiber of his being making his breath come faster, his heart beat rapidly and a lump lodge in his throat at the complete fucking humility she was offering him. She was swearing loyalty to him under the name she was born with. She was silent for a moment as though it was hard to say that name again and for a minute Xanxus thought she was going to take it all back. But then she held his hand in both of hers and nudged his wounded palm gently with her cheek, his blood staining her porcelain skin. "I, Nakayama Nagi, will have you, and hold you, and protect you. My life is yours as yours is mine. I will make the Sky darker and let you burn ever brighter in oblivion. Even with my torn loyalties when darkness falls, I will be your wandering Cloud; I will uphold your honor. I will live for you and die for you, all the rest of my life. Failing this I will dissipate and die before I let harm befall unto you. In the moment that I am forced to choose between my two masters I will allow my life to be taken in exchange for your peace. So help me God."

The glint of the Varia Cloud ring on her finger heightened his possessiveness but Xanxus scowled at the Vongola Mist ring worn on the finger on her other hand and a mad rush of resentment and selfishness swept through his mind. He wanted to rip the damned Vongola ring from her finger and throw it into the fireplace. She stood up and surprised him further by hugging him. Her arms around his hard torso, her bloodstained cheek trailing red over his white shirt. He could feel her warmth, the softness of her breasts on his hard chest, her tenderness through her touch.

"Happy birthday..." she whispered gently in his ear. "Xanxus-sama..."

And then she let go and backed away.

But it wasn't enough.

He wanted her close to him like that again. He wanted to nuzzle his nose through her hair crazily and breath in her scent, his own arms holding her tighter, closer to himself, remorselessly taking everything she could give him. Xanxus didn't even know how much he needed to hold her— _smell_ her until now. And he was struck violently by a sudden realization.

_It's not enough._

Binding her to him through the ring was not enough.

He needed _more_. He needed _everything_. Greedy bastard that he was he can't be satisfied with just _this_.

She was three steps away, oblivious of the fact that his entire body was being pulled toward her already. Wanting to drown in the sensation of having his face buried in the crook of her neck and drown in the heady sensations that made his brain melt into a puddle of _need_.

A knock on the door broke the crazed state of mind he was about to dive into.

"Boss~" Lussuria's lilting voice called out from beyond his door. "I'm coming in so I hope you're decent~" it was his Sun Guardian sashaying through the door with his box weapon all prepped and ready. "Levi told me what happened to your hand; sorry for the delay but I was held up by— EEEEKKK! Mou, Boss, what was that for~?!"

Xanxus gritted his teeth and bared them at the stupid faggot, his hand still smoking from the fireball he had just shot at the Sun user's feet. He was so angry he could have roasted the bastard where he stood.

Unfortunately Dokuro got in the way when she gently tapped at the stupid fag's arm and made the effeminate man turn to her.

"You came just in time; please tend to Xanxus-sama."

"Oh, Chrome-chan~ I didn't know you were here~!" Lussuria cooed at her with motherly fondness. "Were you checking up on the Boss? You poor thing; and you with that mission to pack for too."

The woman merely answered with a fond smile of her own. "Then I'll say goodnight."

Xanxus was left without a choice when she nodded at him respectfully, a touch of fondness lending the act some softness, before turning on her heel and leaving the room, closing the doors behind her. He wanted to chase after her and keep on holding her. He wanted to bask in her presence some more. It was undeniable; like an addiction he had no control over.

Lord he wanted her.

Wanted her so much it was physically painful to think of her out of his reach even if she didn't have a clue just how much. He could teach her how to want him, he was _sure_ he could. All he needed was more time with her just like this.

'_The wandering Cloud who watched the Family from afar…'_, the Vongola said.

Fuck that. This was one Cloud he had no plans of letting wander.

He would put a _leash_ on her if he had to. He will carve his name unto her soul and make sure even the devil knew who she belonged to. He'll make sure _everyone_ knew. _Fuck_ the Mist Ring on her finger, _fuck_ Sawada Tsunayoshi. Surely they could spare her. They had two Mist Guardians for fuck's sake; and Rokudo Mukuro was as good as ten fucking illusionists. They didn't need her.

Not the way he did.

"Alright, Boss, let's take a look at your boo-boo and— AAACCKKK! Mou, Boss, stop doing that~!"

The brat's birthday, he thought as he turned away from his hopping Sun Guardian. He'll make it clear then. He'd strike up a deal if he had to.

There was no way he was going to give her back. They'll have to pry her from his cold dead body.

**/*****/**

A flash and a burn.

A brief but sharp flash of panic.

And then sadness...

And then resignation.

"Oya, oya?"

A purplish, cloud-like flame mixed with indigo engulfing his line of sight in a burst so wild and strong Mukuro had to take a step back and brace himself for a minute before he could gain full control of his bearings again.

And then nothing.

A big, black empty void of _nothing_.

And for a moment Mukuro knew a shot of panic.

"Mukuro-san?" Ken stood up from his crouch as he eyed his leader in worry. The male illusionist had become still all of a sudden wearing an expression that absolutely terrified him. "Are you alright?"

Mukuro ignored him staying absolutely still and looking inward as though trapped in a world of his own.

Ken tried again. "M-Mukuro-sa—"

"_Silence_." The illusionist hissed at him sharply never once breaking his tense concentration.

Ken drew back from him as though burned.

The illusionist drew deeper into the universe of his mind searching for that _one_ thought; that _one_ presence that had given him a reason to care.

_'Nagi...'_

The male illusionist sifted through a million other thoughts, floated over a billion other presences but found nothing. The familiar presence of his once vessel seemed to have disappeared from the face of the planet.

Ten years before the thought of him feeling anything but vague amusement for anything or anyone else would have made Mukuro laugh derisively. After officially being freed from the Vindice's dubious _care _ he realized his vengeance meant nothing compared to the world the Vongola Decimo wanted. At first he stubbornly resisted. Even the idea of being seen as part of the Mafia made his skin crawl. But he understood she disliked the idea of conflict between those she loved so as a reward for being such a loyal vessel he decided to give her a boon to not attack Vongola as long as it was living up to Sawada Tsunayoshi's ideals. The look of joy on her face was priceless. And if then he had thought of her as disposable now the thought of her suddenly leaving him chilled him to the bone.

_'Nagi?'_

Mukuro continued to reach out for that one frail string of connection- that one line of thought that connected him to the one person in the world that had come to mean more to him than his own life. The heart of his very existence.

No matter how many lies, no matter how many faćades, no matter how many schemes and deceit he conjured in his brilliant mind and his supreme abilities this was the one truth he can never deny.

_'Nagi!"_

He was about to give into despair, his hand clutching at his trident in an effort not to go mad when suddenly it happened...

Her presence brushing against him like a feather against his cheek. Reassuring him that she was still there. Still whole. Still very much alive...

Mukuro held that presence close to him and stood still and relaxed in their shared enclosed space, wallowing in it. Closing his eyes and savoring the feeling that the other half of his soul was still alive and well. Still, being so close to her he could not help noting that something very different had happened to her flame.

What was happening? Her Flame... It almost felt like the Skylark's...!

Mukuro wanted to talk to her. To demand some sort of explanation. But her thoughts were kept stubbornly locked away. Like a tight fisted miser with his treasures. But he could feel her heart. Resigned and anxious but definitely steeped in resolve.

A decision has been made.

A decision that is making her feel like a traitor.

"Ken? What's going on?" newly arrived Chikusa asked when he stopped in the threshold of the expensive hotel they were occupying and saw how the male illusionist was acting.

Ken shrugged, as in the dark as the bespectacled man was. He warily tried to get close to his leader once more in an attempt to find out what was going on, incidentally looking like a wary puppy waiting to get kicked. "Mukuro-san…?"

Mukuro settled back into his physical body the way another man shrugged back into another coat. He had been sitting on the comfortable couch of their rented hotel room that evening once again making sure she was safe. Making sure Vongola was keeping their part of the bargain. It irked him just a little bit that Chrome was so good at protecting her mind now that the reason he even felt her distress was because he was actually looking for it.

"Don't mind him, Fran told the other two in the room as he lazily popped nachos in his mouth in front of the television watching a Spanish cartoon. "He's probably just stalking Chrome-sama again."

A trident planted itself into the young man's apple shaped hat in the next instant. He had summoned Fran from the Vongola mansion to see if his little apprentice could learn something new from him while he stalked his latest prey but right he was on the edge of regretting that decision.

"Ouch. That hurt, master."

"How many times do I have to remind you about watching your manners, hm, Fran?"

"I'll tell Chrome-sama." The younger illusionist said as he held his head in his hands in pain even though he wasn't even flinching.

Mukuro winced at that, reminded of the unfortunate fact that his sweet little Chrome had become rather fond of the little troublemaker. But even as he dreaded her wrath an idea came to mind. An idea that inspired a sadistic smirk on his lips.

All three Kokuyo members paled at the sight of it.

"Tell me, Fran," Mukuro purred. "If I hurt you enough, do you think my dear Chrome would come home to me?"

To his credit, Fran maintained a straight face. "If you bother her now you might blow her cover on some mission and get her in trouble with the Varia."

Mukuro twitched in annoyance. His foolish apprentice had a point. Besides he had recalled the runt to his side and camp out here in Barcelona so he could spread his pawns wider and cast a net of his own over the men he was after. He had even dispatched M.M. to gather more information. There were too many holes, too many strings that needed to be unraveled in this mystery and he had to admire the person who had done such an effort to hide what he was trying to find.

It was just too bad that he was going to find it one way or the other.

"Now stop being silly and let's get back to work." Fran finished matter of factly like a toneless mother scolding a child.

Mukuro stabbed him in the head again on principle before irritably turning to Chikusa. "Report."

Chikusa nodded stoically as he pocketed his hands in his pants and started talking. "I believe we have a lead on the information you wanted. Here are the details."

Chikusa brought up the files on his phone and carefully placed it in Mukuro's hands so the illusionist could read the information himself. Pleased, he nodded at this thoughtfully.

"However…" The heterochromatic man looked up, raising a brow at his pawn's sudden uncomfortable twitching.

Ken tilted his head to the side like a confused bird as he watched his friend shifting. "What is it, Kakipi?"

Chikusa pursed his lips for a second before sighing and answering. "Since we are collaborating with Foundation I sent them word about our recent discovery. The Foundation leader himself sent me a reply."

Both brows raised now in surprise and curiosity Mukuro brushed his thumb across the wide screen to get to Chikusa's messages and easily found the one that came from the _Skylark_.

It was short, curt and infinitely rife with warning.

From: _Skylark_

To: _Kakimoto_

Message:

_Back. Off._

Followed by an attachment that held a certain list.

Mukuro laughed out loud and returned Chikusa his celphone as he did so. "You didn't send him _everything_, did you?"

The beanie wearing man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he answered. "I don't see why the Skylark should be involved in our own hunt. He'll just get in the way."

"Kufufufufu… Good work, Chikusa," Mukuro nodded, pleased. "But send a message back, will you?"

"What do you want me to tell him?"

Mukuro laughed softly and handed him back his phone. "Tell him when he confronts Fernando that I'll want front row seats."

**/*****/**

**AN**: HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! And there you have it! Sorry; there should be more but man I have so much stuff it's almost impossible to keep up. I hope this should suffice till next week.

To Nougamis and NyaDC I'll PM you later? You guys have been so great and I haven't been able to dig into all your story recommendations especially yours Nougamis-chan.

To you people saying, "If you're so busy then why the heck did you adopt another author's story, stupid?". Let me just say that writing casual smut destresses my mind a bit. Hehe

Isidipi: Sorry about that; pls enjoy.

Prince-ZuChiRu: LOL, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Looks like you knew Izaya's gonna be there before he even showed up in ch18. Here's some more!

Masked-Secret-Neko: My dear, I will have to agree; sorry for the wait and I hope more people would continue shipping this pairing.

g3m1n1: LMAO This review just made my day! Thanks.

Albinos: Wow… you really think so? *blush* Gosh thank you so much for bothering with this story. Didn't think I can recruit more people to ship this pair lol. You don't sound like a person who is easy to impress so I;m doubly flattered. I am so happy you mentioned the detail about people deceiving themselves when it comes to her; I just thought this kind of power suited her and made her stand apart from Mukuro's rather overwhelming presence. OH an Izaya fan! LOLOL. Personally I rather favor Shizuo and Anri but Izaya's one of my top 5s. I always wondered how he'll get if he mingles with the Vongola guys. You'll probably see him again in one of the other Between a Kiss and a Lie stories after I'm done with Xanxus. I hope you keep on reading! *bows*

Everlasting97: Sorry, sorry, here's a new chapter. Give me one or two more chapters and we'll be doing Tsuna's birthday, okay?

Rainingroses: *hug* darling, your review just rocks. I am so touched that you would mention how you reacted to the chapter; it makes me feel like I'm watching as you read the story and it makes me happy. Seriously. And yes but as you can see, he has his reasons. He's not Varia Boss for nothing. *smirk*

NyaDC: Geez, Nya have I mentioned how you totally rock? Thank you, thank you THANK YOU for sharing all these details with me. I only hope you don't feel disappointed with the rest of this. Now I am haunted by the fear of not living up to your expectations. Lol Yeah, someone requested I do a menagerie with the Varia Box animals a long time ago so here it is lol; glad you liked it; Gosh I haven't even seen that movie yet. Must put it on list. So sorry I couldn't keep in touch, Nya, life is hard and I need to eat and pay bills lol. I think you know what I mean.

Anyways I hope you like this chapter, long and winded as it may be.

Luv ya!

grace: LOL *blush* Thank you, you flatter me too much. Glad you liked it lol

BillyBobBoo: *melts from the praise* Oh my thank you so much lol. I didn't think it was that great but wow, thank you! I really do hope I can keep up with your expectations, please enjoy the rest of the story! 3

DarqueDeath4444: Here it is, sorry for the wait.

SeoulXTusta: *blush blush* Thank you so much for leaving a review! Yeah, Bel's always a crowd pleaser lol; I hope this next chapter satisfies until the next one comes out. *bow*

Guardian1992: Oh wow… I won't say anything here but Oh WOW are you in for a nice read when that particular cat gets out of the bag lol. I am so grateful for the review and I loved your reaction to Xanxus' big plan to bind her to him. Lol seriously the man's a trip! Lol

nougamis: Do I even have to _say_ just how awesome you are? Lol

Minekoanime: You and me both! Lol I don't know but it always just seems to make a lot of sense to me; Chrome as Varia's Cloud Guardian. Impossible but hey, we can dream, can't we? I am so happy you're still there and updating me on how you're reacting to the chapters. It's such an encouragement. *hug*

sparkling apples: *hugs sniff sniff* You understand me so well! Thank you for bothering to drop me a comment. I hope I can live to your expectations!

Tyffanie. T: Oh gosh it HAS been a while, how are you?! Goodness thank you for still reading this story and dropping by to tell me what you think! I am so grateful! I hope I can keep up with your praise! *bow*

Angelazzy: LOL, my hyper reader. I hope you're doing great.

Ch: why thank you so much! **bow**

BlackAngel'sWrath: lol want me to send over Bel and take care of that chemistry teacher? I have a Boss or two that I want to get rid of too lol. I hope this is another chapter that will please you; please stay well.

GuestButNowFan: Yup, that's right. Nice one for following all the boring details! Makes me feel that writing all that bothersome plot worth it lol. I am honored that you would consider calling yourself a fan of this story; I hope I will continue to write to satisfy you. *bow*

Neophoia: Oh wow thank you very much for thinking that; I'm grateful to read about what you think about the chapter itself, it's so much fun! I'm glad I finally heard your voice about the story lol; You think so? Looks like a lot of people are pissed that I'm going too slow. The angst must be killing them; do you think I can still improve my writing? I am really honored *bow* I really hope I can keep up with your expectations.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Ciao? Haru Miura parlare."

"Haru-chan, it's me."

Haru's face brightened and she immediately dropped everything she was doing to give her phone her full attention. "Hahi? CHROME-CHAN!"

Anybody who was witnessing the scene could practically see the brunette glomping the other woman on the other line were she here. As it was, Miura Haru settled for a bright sunny greeting.

"It's nice to hear your voice, Haru-chan." Chrome's voice was much calmer and more serene but it still held all the tenderness, all the affection she held for the woman on the other line.

Haru beamed and sat in her leather chair, thankful that she was still alone in her closed office at the Iron Fort. "It's great to hear from you too! By the way, that stupid Haya-baka was here earlier today to borrow my Ledger and I am going to tell you right now that the only reason I allowed it was because he told me you needed it. Honestly Hana-chan was right; boys are monkeys!"

"Ah yes about that; thank you very much," the soft voice of the Vongola Mist Guardian came over from the other line once more. "I needed it for a mission; I hope you didn't mind too much."

"Of course I don't mind but what's going on? Can you tell me? Nobody uses the Ledger for anything less than serious things."

"...Sorry, Haru-chan."

Haru bit her lip to keep down the urge to push for a reason. She had become one of the Vongola's accountants for nigh on five years now and had been serving as head accountant for almost a year since Tsuna officially took over the position of Boss but as someone who was not part of the operations side of the Family she was not privy to the more dangerous side of the business. Even though she held a lot of sensitive information for the Vongola it still didn't change the fact that she was still on a need to know basis. A person who was in the loop but only allowed to scrape the surface… She was not allowed to dive into the ice and from what she suspected of Chrome's duties she might not want to. She didn't think she would be able to handle it the way Chrome could.

There were times, though… that she wished she knew enough to be able to help her…

"I understand." was all she could say, trying to keep her voice cheerful. Now was not the time to worry her friend.

Silence hung heavily between the two of them like a nimbus cloud and Haru struggled for something— anything she could say to lift it up. This was the first time Chrome has talked to her since she was sent away from the mansion. She shouldn't waste it.

"I hear there's a new cream puff being sold at that cake shop you and Kyoko-san used to like going to back in high school," Chrome's soft voice won over the cloud of silence, startling Haru. "I'll get you some next time we meet as thanks."

The brunette lit up at the mention of sweets. "Hahi?! And a Triple Chocolate Black Forest cake with the caramel icing and honey dipped truffle sprinkles?"

"Anything you want, it's the least I could do for letting me borrow the Ledger," Chrome chuckled softly; an unusual sound in and of itself that warmed Haru to the core. "Without it we would have all been in a lot of trouble, this is the least that I can do for you."

"CHROME-CHAN, HARU LOVES YOUUUU!"

Again that soft laugh. It amazed Haru even after ten years how such a quiet, cool looking person could emit such a tender, warmly comforting sound. The brunette would take a bet that if Chrome ever had children her laughter would be the first thing that would make her memorable as a mother.

"Is I-pin with you?" the indigo haired woman's asked after a while.

"Hahi?" Haru blinked. "She was here a few weeks ago; her and her Touou classmates had a class trip but they went back to Japan already; Lambo went with her. They'll be back for Tsuna-kun's birthday, though."

The line went quiet again and Haru resisted the urge to slam her head into a wall.

Why would she say that?! How could she be so insensitive?!

"I see," Haru caught her breath at the deceptive sounding normalcy in Chrome's voice and her heart ached with guilt. "I'll see you there?"

The Vongola head accountant felt her heart stutter and she winced at the breathlessness of her next words. "You're coming?"

"I'm a Vongola Guardian, Haru-chan," the illusionist replied. "I have to come. It's a symbol of unity for the Famiglia. If I don't come people will think we're having internal problems."

"But—"

"It's fine; I'm going to be fine—"

"You always say that but you end up anything but fine!" Haru yelled, her palm slamming on the top of her desk.

The strength of her emotions left her breathless nad panting into the silence that ensued and for a moment Haru thought Chrome had hung up on her.

When the one eyed young woman spoke again the brunette's breath stopped. "It's alright—"

"NO IT'S NOT!" Haru yelled back feeling hopelessly guilty. "THEY HAD NO RIGHT TO EXILE YOU!"

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Chrome soothed her and Haru pursed her lips in an attempt to keep calm. "Everything will be alright, you'll see."

"How?" Haru whispered; her agony visible.

"You'll see," Chrome comforted her. "You'll see..."

Haru wished she could believe it. If she could then maybe... maybe the thought of Chrome coming back to the Iron Fort wouldn't be something she would dread anymore.

"Haru, I just wanted you to know…" the next words were a whisper now. "I'm so glad you're my friend. Take care of Kyoko-san when she comes for him, okay?"

Haru had to take a deep, fortifying breath before she could answer that question. "Okay."

"And, Haru-chan?"

"Eh?"

"…I miss you," the illusionist whispered through the phone. "I miss everyone…"

Haru felt as though she had a boulder suddenly stuck in her throat at the other woman's words. "Yeah… I miss you too..."

"I'll see you then. Bye."

"Bye."

Haru stared at her celphone long before Chrome had hung up; the isolation of her office which was so comforting a few minutes ago now served to stifle her in her guilt and she allowed herself to cry as the memories engulfed her.

Despite Tsuna-kun's best efforts she had become Vongola's head accountant right after she got her MBAs having been apprenticed for the position in the middle of college. She promised the kind brunette that she was not going to be involved in anything Mafia related. She promised Tsuna she was going to be fine and she had been. She merely dealt with numbers and become the keeper of the heavily prized records that was called by the few who knew about it as the Black Ledger. A very old accounting book that held all past and present influential people who were on the Vongola's payroll. A jealously guarded secret that if exposed would cause the ruin of the entire organization. Much like Fuuta's Ranking Book, it was heavily protected by the laws of omerta. Exposing it to the eyes of outsiders meant death.

At first she had been happy— ecstatic that she was able to help at all. For years she had secretly held a grudge against Chrome because she was the only girl who was allowed access to the Vongola's secrets. But when Haru got deeper into the mess that was the mafia… She had nearly lost her mind in shock.

Chrome was the one who saved her.

But now when her friend needed her the most there was no way to pay her back.

Everything would be alright, Chrome had said but... Haru just wished it would have never happened in the first place. If things stayed the same as they have then... then perhaps Chrome-chan would not have had to be punished like this.

_And if wishes came true..._

Haru sighed; she had already gotten a lecture from Haya-baka about the futility of wishful thinking. Wishful thinking cannot bring back time.

She can only move forward like everyone else did.

And live with the fact that no matter how much she wanted to help Chrome Dokuro all she could really do for her is cry…

**/*****/**

Chrome switched the celphone off, her heart heavy, her face plaintive. She wished she could comfort Haru a little bit more but there was no possible way for her to do that now. The best she could do was to hope they would meet in Namimori someday. Or wait till the 14th comes along this October and the Famiglia was required to come together to celebrate the Boss' birthday.

The reminder of the occasion made her catch her breath and close her eyes for the expected pain… only the blinding ache was a little less painful this time. She opened her eye and wondered if… her heart was finally going numb. It wouldn't be a surprise; she was getting tired.

And then her gaze drifted to the rings on her hands and the twist in her soul contradicted that theory.

Once upon a time Shoichi told her he had discovered that Flames evolved as a wielder grew up and changed emotionally and mentally as well according to ones ever changing set of priorities that triggered their Dying Will and turned them into Flame.

Case in point was Hibari Kyouya who had grown up enough over the years to understand that sheer, arrogant power coupled with his natural bullheadedness was not enough to protect the town he loved so much. Also, as he grew up he had discovered that there was so much more to the world than just Namimori and there were so many herbivores in the world that needed disciplining… And so he had developed a sense of subtlety. Hence how he developed his Mist Flames, minor as they were in him.

In a layman's terms the former prefect had managed to appreciate the subtlety of anonymity but not enough to accept blatant deception merely using it as a means to an end.

The same went for her, she guessed.

Mist users are infamous for their loose interpretation of the word 'loyalty'. Give them enough reason to think that their own personal well being was being threatened or if their employer's ideals clashed violently with their own and they would turn on their comrades and masters in a blink of an eye using every form of lie and deceit to make their own ideals the one ruling supreme.

Her Mukuro-sama was such a person.

He had never declared himself loyal to Vongola which was why he did not accept the position as Mist Guardian of the Vongola's tenth generation. Instead he opted to be Vongola's hovering Reaper. One wrong move from the Vongola Famiglia and he was prepared to be the scythe that will cut Vongola apart.

The ghost of Christmas yet to come.

And that was where the difference between her and the infamous former Vindice prisoner ended.

For although she still dealt and bathed in deceit she used those steadily _for_ the Vongola. Like Hibari with his territorial obsession with Namimori her obsession was protecting her Family. Or more accurately, the present Family she had worn the Vongola Mist ring for. To enclose herself in isolation in order to protect something that was finally _hers_. Good people who were worth her protection. People who were worth _dying_ for. People she would lay her life for even if she had to watch over them from a distance to avoid tainting them with the sins she had to commit for their sake. It made her blind to the pains it caused her, it made her a fool who bore the darkness that weighed on the responsibility of leading a Mafia Famiglia but she did that willingly. And she would continue to do so as long as there was breath in her.

Thinking of Daemon Spade she wondered if this is what his Elena thought about back when she was still alive…? Or was she more like a Judas Iscariot instead?

The Cloud ring on the left and the Mist ring on the right both glinted at her under the candlelight set on the sheltered table she was occupying at the elegant and very private restaurant as though they were mocking her about the promises she had made. Promises she needed to keep. Using the name she had been using all along as she forged through the shadows of the Vongola was the only way she could think of to comfort herself into thinking she was not being an absolute traitor to her Sky.

Boss... What would he think when he sees it?

Would he be angry? Would he be hurt...?

Or would he just give her that warm, understanding smile that told her he was sorry for her and that everything would be alright…?

Somehow the thought of the latter made her ache even worse.

How could she possibly tell him she didn't want the Cloud Ring in the first place? How could she possibly say that without sounding ungrateful and unsupportive of Xanxus? She had already agreed to wear the Varia Cloud ring. Rejecting it at the time he put it on her finger would start a massive problem between the Varia and Vongola. Xanxus knew just what to do to make sure simply taking off his ring so she could walk away was not an option. Her best hope would be if Xanxus tired of her and took it away. What was worse was that, that thought actually made her want to rip her heart out of her chest because it hurt too much. The idea that someone she thought of so highly would hate her and throw her away like that stung like a gunshot wound.

It would be like Mukuro-sama all over again when he left her behind to go after Fran.

She angrily swallowed the lump that suddenly sprang to her throat at the thought and blinked the ache in her eye away. She had made the decision, it was already too late. She can't regret things she did not have control over. That would be like telling her heart to stop beating.

Raucous laughter stole her attention and Chrome looked over her private balcony down to the other diners below. As she had planned it, she had a clear view of her target dining with at least half a dozen men dressed in the same rich and impeccable attire as he was. Judging by their lip movements it seems her target was trying to seal a deal with a client that had some international prestige. On closer inspection Chrome approved of the move. If what she had read on the man's background was correct then this would not only insure their rise to the international market but it could also make them a worldwide economic power.

Mammon was going to be very happy Arcobaleno when he comes back to the Varia fortress.

The familiar presence that had been hovering in the shadows with her almost as soon as she ordered a glass of the house wine finally decided to move a little bit closer and she turned towards it with a warm smile on her lips.

"I was wondering if you would join me for dinner, Captain."

The Varia Lightning Guardian stepped out of the shadows and scowled at her but his words were too soft for the gruffness of his body language. "I'm not hungry."

"Shame; they have excellent prawns."

"I'll pass; what's the situation?"

"Everything is under control, of course."

"Vienetto told me all you asked for was the target's contact information and medical history. What the hell were you hoping to accomplish with that measly intel?"

"Enough to know that this assignment is going to be laughably easy."

"Arrogant."

"Confident."

She didn't know why but talking to Levi now after he had warned her off Xanxus that time while she was wounded made him an easy confidante for her. He was predictable, easy to understand and relatively simple. If nothing else she knew that he would not bother lying to her. Of course he was too well trained to volunteer specific information but the afro headed man was much too straightforward in his dealings to bother with the art of cunning. The man was as transparent as a colorless glass flute on a bartender's shelf compared to her who was so transparent she was opaque if Lal-shishou was to be believed. If Levi knew just how similar he was to Sasagawa Ryohei she wondered what he would feel?

Probably offended.

"How the hell can you even say that? You haven't even had any contact with the target yet and this is the second day. Varia Quality should have already at _least_ put the fear of God in the bastard's head by now!"

"I don't have to touch him to make contact," Chrome replied, still respectful but with a firmness that conveyed just how sure she was of her words. "I don't need to know him so intimately to 'at least put the fear of God in him', either."

"What the hell are you planning then?"

Chrome spared him another smile and then turned to look towards her target.

And then she whispered a name.

Her target screamed all of a sudden and stood up looking around in a panic as he held onto his nape.

"OH MY GOD! THERE IT IS AGAIN! I FELT IT! SOMEONE JUST TOUCHED THE BACK OF MY NECK!"

"Timothy, really no one's the—"

"AHHHH! YOU WERE ABOUT TO HIT ME! _HOW DARE YOU_?!"

"I did not such thing!"

"AHHH!"

"Timothy!"

"_Timothy_!"

"So it's true..."

"Give him some water!"

"Calm him down!"

The commotion at her target's table had already attracted the shocked attention of the other patrons as the man continued with his crazed mutterings and accusations, the wild look in his eyes flanking paranoid extremes looking at everyone; _accusing_ everyone. The cool water, however, had calmed him down and after a while he was muttering apologies to his friends. But his friends were already eyeing him with more than concern and pity. Madness was not something one can easily ignore.

"It's a kind of mental suggestion I placed in his mind while he slept last night. I had it woven into his subconscious when I entered his dreams," Chrome said softly after a while into the silence that followed her little demonstration, still watching her target and his friends. "Every time he hears his name called even in passing; even if it's just a whisper of it in the air and he will be subjected to a series of hallucinations. Ghostly touches, fear of physical abuse, paranoia, even forgetfulness… The only way to calm him down will be a simple glass of water.

"In a month the Vienetto's client can demand access to his trust fund on the grounds that his father has become insane and can be safely declared as unfit to run his company and control his fortunes," Chrome finished her wine, tilting her head back and presenting her delicate neck to the incredulous eyes of the mafioso watching her. "I already sent Don Vienetto word that they can contact me once they have their money and has met all your terms. If they do not contact me within a week I shall check in with the target again and see what's wrong. I'll put a stop to the hallucinations as soon as all parties have been satisfied."

Levi blinked, trying to wrap his mind around what she had just said.

"You really shouldn't worry so much, Captain Levi; I assure you I can complete this mission without any problems," she studied one of the carnations decorating the small bowl of flowers placed on her table as a centerpiece. She appreciated their simplicity. "You didn't think I wouldn't know I am being evaluated by Varia's allies, did you?"

"So you know you're being hazed?" Levi scowled down at her.

"It's natural. They all love Xanxus-sama; I accepted because I will not allow anyone to think he was being weak by not allowing me to go," she couldn't stop the wistful smile on her face as she spoke the Varia Boss' name. "But enough of that I don't think you came all the way here just to babysit me through a mission you very well know I would have no issues completing, do you?"

Levi looked taken aback for a moment before collecting himself again and glowered at her. "You need to be protected."

Chrome blinked at the unexpected admission. "I might be an illusionist but I assure you I will not be left helpless when I am forced in the middle of combat."

"Trinidad and whoever the hell else seems to want to capture you; that's enough reason to give you back up."

"Is that an order from Xanxus-sama?"

He hesitated once more before replying. "The Boss would want you safe."

Which meant Levi came here on his own; it was a surprise in and of itself. At the mention of Xanxus though…

The memory of the scarred man made something in Chrome's chest thump like the single beat of a large prayer gong, the vibrations humming through her entire body and making her sing in confusion.

Xanxus.

Even now the memory of him telling her baldly about his selfish reasons for wanting her tied to him by fate; how he claimed her with forceful words hiding none of his flaws, never hiding his darkness and the way he had fearlessly admitted he knew of her sins and then letting her know they didn't matter and were in fact something he welcomed made her smile tenderly at the glass of wine she had ordered. It also inspired an ache with a deep abiding sadness for something she couldn't explain within her heart.

The expression on his face, the tone of his voice, the look in his eyes… Why did they all seem so familiar? So familiar that— despite her best judgment— made her fall on her knee and swear to him her life albeit with another name. Despite knowing this was all temporary she wanted to do everything for him, make that lost look on his face go away. She wanted to see him happy, content… The way he did after he allowed her to massage his back. At that time she wanted to hold him close and protect him… Make sure nothing ever harmed him. Which was funny being that she was thinking about the man who was practically considered as one of the Mafia world's most invincible men.

Still there was something vulnerable about the way he looked at her that made her want to weep. Made her want to eliminate the source of his pain. The sad thing is she had this sinking feeling that she was part of whatever it was that was hurting him.

"The Boss treasures you; now that he's claimed you with that ring then it puts you under his protection by default," Levi kept speaking, oblivious to her thoughts. "I'm here so you don't end up embarrassing him. He won't say anything since you can't do anything wrong in his eyes at the moment. I'm here to make sure you don't become a liability to him."

She forced another smile at him. "I think you overestimate his regard for me."

"If that's what you think then you're blind and stupid."

She turned a startled gaze at him, her eye wide. "Captain…?"

He sneered at her and gestured at her in general, pointing her appearance out. "Look at you. You go around walking like that and then have the nerve to tell me you don't know?"

Chrome looked down at herself and then glanced at her face's reflection from the glass of the wine she had been drinking from.

Dressed in a mid thigh skirted, long sleeved, U-neck charcoal gray dress made of stretchable wool and her hair draped artfully over her right shoulder and eye to cover her eye patch she thought she looked normal enough. Bianchi's lessons about dressing up during assignments requiring social necessities to blend in with the general populace reminded her that when staking out a target in a room full of people she needed to dress attractively enough to belong in the room but not flashy enough to attract unwanted distractions. Although in her case she seemed to get a lot of those no matter how plainly she dressed which made her choose a table in a hidden balcony seat in the first place.

All in all she didn't see anything special about herself.

"I don't—"

"Who is it?" Levi cut her off with a hiss, his beady black eyes practically sparking with intent.

"Who is what?" Chrome asked warily, wondering if the impulsive Lightning user was going to pull out a parabola any minute now.

Discreetly she allowed her Mist flames to make sure no one outside the alcove could see what was happening to them.

"You told me you can't love the Boss because you're already in love with someone else," Levi growled menacingly. "Who is it?"

Chrome's eyes widened at the question. "That's _none_ of your business."

"It _is_ my business!"

Chrome sucked a deep breath in and calmed herself down before looking Levi straight in the eye. "What is this all about, Captain?"

"I will _not_ let you hurt him!" Levi hissed, stepping forward and shaking as he got emotional. "He's already been through enough; I'll _die_ before I allow you to hurt him!"

"Him? You mean Xanxus-sama?"

"Who _else_ could it be?!"

"Captain Levi," Chrome began in her sincerest voice. "I will never hurt Xanxus-sama."

"Yes, you will!"

"What makes you think that?"

"_Because—_" he caught himself before he could blurt out the reason. Straightening and taking a deep breath he let it out slowly before speaking again, his eyes accusing her bitterly of her unknown crime. "Just tell me who he is."

"And if you find out?"

"I'll _kill_ him of course."

"That's unacceptable."

"_Bitch_!" he slammed his fist against the wall making a sizeable dent in it. "You're a traitor! I _knew_ it!"

"I'm not."

"You're leading him _on_! Making him _hope_!" he snarled at her with half strangled screams. "Making him think it's possible for him to be _happy_!"

"I already told him my position is strictly temporary—"

"SHUT UP!" he swung a parabola out of its sheathe and pointed the tip at her. Chrome did not even flinch partly because she knew she could ward off the attack and partly because she was distracted by the half formed tears at the corners of the tall man's eyes. "_Give me his name, damn it_! GIVE IT TO ME!"

But Levi stopped at the sight of Chrome's eyes icing over until they were no longer the color of haunted violets. They were hard and bright as amethysts held against the sun as she spoke coldly to the Varia Lightning Guardian. "I'd rather die."

Levi's eyes sparked with intense hate before Lightning Flames cascaded down the parabola still aimed between Chrome's eyes.

The female illusionist didn't move. Instead a faint purple flame flared from her left hand and a spiky layer of Cloud flames absorbed the Lightning rendering it useless. She met Levi's eyes with utmost seriousness between the sparking Flames and made sure he was looking at her. And then she spoke.

"The person I love means the world to me the way Xanxus-sama means the world to you. You're ready to move heaven and earth for him, so do I for the person I care about. I have allowed myself to drown in sin in order to insure his safety and the safety of everyone he cares about," Chrome, still motionless, allowed her Cloud Flames to wrap around Levi's parabola until the weapon was swallowed up and broken in the thick Flame, utterly defeated, and Levi was forced to let go of his parabola's handle and step back. "But despite my love for that person I still care about Xanxus-sama. I will do anything to save him from pain. I know I can't promise him forever but I assure you. I will do everything I can to keep him from hurting. And I can begin by making sure you don't break omerta right here, right now.

"I know that you don't believe me right now; I know you have no reason to but I assure you," her soft voice was lined with so much steel it was like a velvet covered bat swinging in the air. "I will protect him. Even if it is from himself."

His lips were stubbornly set even as he tried to reach for another parabola. But then, bit by bit, his expression softened and his stance became a lot more lax, a lot more unthreatening until all Chrome could see was defeat making his shoulders sag; something so very disturbing to see on such a stubborn and dedicated man's countenance. As soon as she was sure he would no longer be a threat to anyone she allowed her Cloud Flames to recede.

They each held their grounds in silence for a few solid minutes.

Levi was the one who broke it with a whisper.

"I swear on my life that if you hurt him… I'll kill you. And if I find out who this person you're so obsessed with is; I will kill him too. If my Boss has to sufffer, then you're going to suffer with him." He then stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.

As soon as he left Chrome stared into the dark in shock and embracing the familiar empty loneliness that she had learnt to deal with all these years. There was only one thought in her head that looped into her mind right up until she took the chopper back to the Varia fort.

"Lord… What have I done…?"

**/*****/**

Read and Review? Please? (T_T)

Minekoanime: lol so excited to read your review, dear; it made me so happy! Sorry about ruining your sleep patterns I'll try to schedule my updates to come in on weekends hehe. And NO! It's not stalker-ish. I think I'd rather call it… um… a great coincidence? Ehehe

DarqueDeath4444: Oh gosh I am SO sorry; revisions are important, goodness I am in the way of you being a great person! But you made me feel so honored that you have given me the privilege of another review and words that make me puff up my chest in pride. I wish well and lots of luck on your all your exams!

Erchu: Wow… just wow I am almost speechless; thank you very much for liking this story; it means so much to me that you allowed me to read your feedback. I hope you'll keep reading till the end because I would love to share this story with you. I am so sorry for getting in the way of you and work; I know it can be very hectic and stressful enough as it is. I wish lots of luck and I pray that you will always be well.

Angelazzy: KYAAAAAAA! *munches on virtual cookies* YUM! I'm so happy you were able to read it! Lol I was a little worried that you'd think the pledge scene would be too corny and stuff lol. I hope this chapter works out for you too; you DID ask for it hehe. I was planning to write it up anyway so I so I told myself, 'Why not? Besides, my Hyper reader wants to read about it.' *shrug* I hope you like the turn out lol. Oh wow, *blushes* I didn't know that line would make you feel anything. Thanks, it's not common for people to point out details like that in a review, I really appreciate it lol. And YES, Xanxus WILL keep on fighting. Because he's Varia Quality! Lol *HUG HUG HUG* 3

g3m1n1: lol yeah I DO know what that means, as a matter of fact. And YES now that I have you empathizing with Xanxus I do feel a little proud of myself. In fact, as I am typing this response to you review I am planning a strutting session through my house even as I think. LOLOL THANK YOU for mentioning the name part on your review; it's so great that readers pay attention to the details. As a reward I shall share the virtual cookies Angelazzy has sent me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.

Prince-ZuChiRu: *blink blink blink* Umm… no problem? *offers coffee* Thanks for leaving me a review though. *smile*

Masked-Secret-Neko: Omg I am SO sorry I didn't mean to keep people awake on a weekday! *sobs* Oh my gosh! I ruin people's lives! I'm a people life ruiner! *sniffles* I hope this new chapter can right my wrong; thank you so much for taking the time to drop me a review here and reading this story. It really is an honor.

nougamis: NOUGAAAMISS-CHAAANNNN! *HUG HUG HUG SNUGGLE SNUGGLE* Sorry I haven't been around much and couldn't reply through PM but… well stuff. So I was enjoying this review of yours and can't help but chuckle at some parts. Like how you wanted to strangle Xanxus (please don't; at least wait till the story's finished lol). To be honest I really do think that that was what's so attractive about Xaxus; character. He's broken and what woman with normal maternal instincts _does not_ want to try and fix a broken guy? Especially if said broken guy looks like His Hotness? Lol

That said thank you for appreciating what I did to Xanxus; I was half scared you'd think he was being too cheesy and stuff lol; Also thanks for Liking my rendition of Chrome. To be honest with you I have put a lot of thought in how Chrome would be set apart from Mukuro ability wise. I needed her strong but not AS strong as Mukuro; just enough abilities to make her stand out, you know? Lol look at me babbling! I just feel like I can share my Chrome geekiness with you. Lol

I really do hope you like this next chapter; I couldn't have done it without your support. You're awesome. Please take care and I only wish for you rainbows and unicorns and lotsa lotsa luck. And virtual chocolate ship cookies.

NyaDC: NYAAAAAAAA! Good because I need you to always know how awesome you are for still sticking with this story and dropping me your thoughts. Your reviews make me feel heard hehe. Dawww I'll do everything I can to update my promises to you but as of now I am in an unstable position. Long story and very very stressful. Thank you for being here and being very understanding.

Pfftt LOLOL That was so mean LOLOL laughing at Xan-chan while he's having a crisis! How could you?! LOLOL ;P But I Do know what you mean. It was fun playing with him like that lol And you know it's really fun since you describe him and know him so well!

*Blush* I didn't think this chapter was all that impressive but you were right; Xanxus IS a spoiled brat; always was always has been and probably always will be. To be perfectly honest I think it's what makes him so darn cuddly lol; I am so happy to know that I am not exactly alone in this thought and that I am not going crazy for thinking it yet lol. Making him want to lock Chrome in his closet is part of the spoiled brat bit. It's a mix of cute and creepy, really lol. Kinda like how guys think the girls in that part in the play Chicago are hot in that Cell Block Tango bit even though they're scary as hell. Lol

I have to say that probably the one thing I love about Xanxus is that he never apologizes for his actions. He wants something even though he shouldn't, he'll take it but he'll never justify his reasons. Akira Amano should have mined that for all its worth. Haha

GOSh I thought you were gonna drop me a review about how OOC and pathetic he was in that scene! Lol For a little bit I thought about editing out the entire scene with Chrome and just fast forward it to this scene instead but I told myself to keep it just because I liked writing Xanxus in it. Glad it worked out. Lol

Aww come on~ Don't kill Lussu *hugs Lussuria* You've got no idea how Chrome would have responded had he not disappeared; Xanxus might have gotten rejected or something lol and of course Chrome is awesome; that's why we love her and reading and writing this story; it's all in her honor; well at least that's why I'm writing this story, anyway lol. I hope this chapter keeps her in your good graces, Nya.

About Mukuro well… I missed him too. Although he's not playing anything major here he's still a part of her. He can't not be involved. Your welcome.

It's so awesome and nice hearing from you; your thoughts help me keep writing. Please be safe and I only wish you good luck and good vibes. Please be well.

Sincerely,

Mio

Devil-Queen-Wolf-666: LOL *hands over tissue* Dearie, you haven't seen nothing yet; I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Please keep reading and thank you so much for leaving me your thoughts on the chapter. It's always great to hear from you.

But please don't sacrifice your sleep. I think it would be better if you errr rested first? Lol

Rainbows: Welcome, my dear, to the circus that is my freaky imagination lol; I just wanted to tell you that you made me laugh/blush at your comment. I've got no idea ANYONE would praise me for ,y cliffhangers. From my experience, people curse my name for it. Thank you very much! *blush blush blush* Highest potential as a writer? Gosh wow lol I don't know about that. Anyway I hope this chapter is not a disappointment; I hope to hear from you again.

Guest: Whoa nelly! Okay, okay I'm updating, here you go! lol Geez that scared me a little! Lol Just the idea of Bel after me is enough to inspire (very naughty) nightmares! Anyway thank you so much for leaving a review; it makes me so happy this story is making people happy. Please keep reading! And thank you for being my 300th reviewer! *hug*

Indyctator: Hi if you're still reading this I just want you to know that I made a surprise for you on the works. I'll PM you when its done lol; I pray you are having a great time! Lotsa luck!

And thank you for everyone who has added me and this story in their favorites and follows; you guys rock!

Read and Review, guys; it's inspiration and motivation! Please enjoy the story!

**AN**: Next chapter is the beginning of the Vongola Decimo Birthday Arc. Please stay tuned. (bow)


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